ResidentialBusiness

Firms including Deloitte and Accenture told to justify billions of dollars’ worth of contractsView the full article

Number of new homes given go ahead last year was lowest since 2014View the full article

AI data centre provider hit by blow from biggest customer ahead of the biggest tech listing this yearView the full article

The public water utility cannot avoid a debt refinancing, despite the horrifying expense View the full article

Europe’s largest economy could return to pre-pandemic growth trend View the full article

One of the world’s most complex financial conglomerates is attracting scrutiny for circular flows of cash involving its global property portfolioView the full article

Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) has launched AgentExchange, a new marketplace integrated into its Agentforce platform, aimed at expanding opportunities in the $6 trillion digital labor market. The company announced that AgentExchange debuts with over 200 partners, including Google Cloud, Docusign, and Box, offering trusted AI solutions that businesses can use to build AI agents efficiently. Building on the success of AppExchange, Salesforce’s long-established enterprise cloud marketplace, AgentExchange provides a platform for developers, partners, and the Agentblazer community to create, distribute, and monetize agentic AI components. AgentExchange offers businesses access to hundreds of prebuilt actions, topics, and templates, all designed to enhance efficiency and innovation. According to Salesforce, these solutions have undergone rigorous security and customer reviews to ensure trustworthiness. “Accelerating our speed of execution is critical to Goodyear’s ability to deliver for our customers and maximize our end-to-end value proposition. We’re excited about the potential of the ready-to-use solutions from AgentExchange to enhance our speed, efficiency, and customer experience,” said Goodyear CEO and President Mark Stewart. Key Partner Contributions Several major partners have already begun integrating solutions into AgentExchange: Google Cloud: Enables Agentforce agents to access up-to-the-minute data, news, and insights using Vertex AI and Google Search. Box: Helps agents extract insights from unstructured data and interact with content using natural language. Docusign: Automates agreement generation, routing, signature tracking, and workflow management. Workday: Enhances HR processes, including onboarding and benefits management, by automating self-service workflows. Salesforce states that these partnerships will help businesses implement AI-driven workflows that improve productivity across various industries. Comprehensive AI Solutions AgentExchange introduces new partner-built components, allowing businesses and developers to expand the capabilities of AI agents within Agentforce. These components include: Actions: Prebuilt integrations such as APIs, workflows, and automation scripts. Prompt Templates: Standardized prompts for guiding AI interactions and responses. Topics: Predefined workflows that structure AI agent behavior for specific tasks. Agent Templates: End-to-end AI solutions that incorporate multiple actions and topics for industry-specific applications. Salesforce notes that these features simplify AI adoption by allowing businesses to discover, test, and implement AI solutions directly from the marketplace or within Agentforce’s development tools. AgentExchange aims to facilitate collaboration among businesses, partners, and developers. Companies can access industry-specific solutions while engaging with the broader Agentblazer community to refine AI agent capabilities. “AgentExchange empowers customers to seamlessly integrate trusted AI solutions within their workflow,” said Alice Steinglass, EVP & GM of Platform, Integration and Automation at Salesforce. “Now our developer community can directly tap the expertise of our partner ecosystem to get the right industry-specific solutions so they can build and implement AI agents, and be the pioneers turning their businesses into Agentforce companies.” Image: Salesforce This article, "Salesforce Unveils AgentExchange, Expanding the Digital Labor Market" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) has launched AgentExchange, a new marketplace integrated into its Agentforce platform, aimed at expanding opportunities in the $6 trillion digital labor market. The company announced that AgentExchange debuts with over 200 partners, including Google Cloud, Docusign, and Box, offering trusted AI solutions that businesses can use to build AI agents efficiently. Building on the success of AppExchange, Salesforce’s long-established enterprise cloud marketplace, AgentExchange provides a platform for developers, partners, and the Agentblazer community to create, distribute, and monetize agentic AI components. AgentExchange offers businesses access to hundreds of prebuilt actions, topics, and templates, all designed to enhance efficiency and innovation. According to Salesforce, these solutions have undergone rigorous security and customer reviews to ensure trustworthiness. “Accelerating our speed of execution is critical to Goodyear’s ability to deliver for our customers and maximize our end-to-end value proposition. We’re excited about the potential of the ready-to-use solutions from AgentExchange to enhance our speed, efficiency, and customer experience,” said Goodyear CEO and President Mark Stewart. Key Partner Contributions Several major partners have already begun integrating solutions into AgentExchange: Google Cloud: Enables Agentforce agents to access up-to-the-minute data, news, and insights using Vertex AI and Google Search. Box: Helps agents extract insights from unstructured data and interact with content using natural language. Docusign: Automates agreement generation, routing, signature tracking, and workflow management. Workday: Enhances HR processes, including onboarding and benefits management, by automating self-service workflows. Salesforce states that these partnerships will help businesses implement AI-driven workflows that improve productivity across various industries. Comprehensive AI Solutions AgentExchange introduces new partner-built components, allowing businesses and developers to expand the capabilities of AI agents within Agentforce. These components include: Actions: Prebuilt integrations such as APIs, workflows, and automation scripts. Prompt Templates: Standardized prompts for guiding AI interactions and responses. Topics: Predefined workflows that structure AI agent behavior for specific tasks. Agent Templates: End-to-end AI solutions that incorporate multiple actions and topics for industry-specific applications. Salesforce notes that these features simplify AI adoption by allowing businesses to discover, test, and implement AI solutions directly from the marketplace or within Agentforce’s development tools. AgentExchange aims to facilitate collaboration among businesses, partners, and developers. Companies can access industry-specific solutions while engaging with the broader Agentblazer community to refine AI agent capabilities. “AgentExchange empowers customers to seamlessly integrate trusted AI solutions within their workflow,” said Alice Steinglass, EVP & GM of Platform, Integration and Automation at Salesforce. “Now our developer community can directly tap the expertise of our partner ecosystem to get the right industry-specific solutions so they can build and implement AI agents, and be the pioneers turning their businesses into Agentforce companies.” Image: Salesforce This article, "Salesforce Unveils AgentExchange, Expanding the Digital Labor Market" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Borrowing costs rise amid global sell-off sparked by GermanyView the full article

Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) has launched Photoshop for iPhone, bringing its widely used image editing and design application to mobile devices. The new app, available starting today, delivers Photoshop’s core tools, including layering, masking, and Firefly-powered Generative Fill, in a mobile-friendly interface. An Android version is set to launch later this year. The mobile expansion is part of Adobe’s broader initiative to make Photoshop more accessible, with the new mobile app and an enhanced web experience now included in all current Photoshop plans. According to Adobe, these additions provide flexibility for established Photoshop users while also welcoming a new generation of creators. The introduction of Photoshop’s mobile app marks the first time the software’s advanced editing capabilities are available in a single free mobile application. Users can create and edit visuals with Photoshop’s signature tools, including selections, layers, and masks. The app also features the Tap Select tool for easy image adjustments, the Spot Healing Brush for removing distractions, and Firefly-powered generative AI tools like Generative Fill and Generative Expand. The mobile app integrates with Adobe Express, Adobe Fresco, and Adobe Lightroom, allowing creators to transition between workflows seamlessly. Additionally, users can access Adobe Stock’s extensive asset library for added creative elements. Adobe has introduced a new Photoshop Mobile and Web plan, priced at $7.99 per month or $69.99 annually. This plan provides expanded access to Photoshop on the web and advanced editing features for mobile and iPad users. Features available in this plan include: Seamless transitions between mobile and web for cross-device editing Firefly-powered AI tools, such as Generate Similar and Reference Image, to enhance creativity More than 20,000 fonts with the ability to import additional options Object Select for precise selections of people and objects Advanced retouching tools like Remove Tool, Clone Stamp, and Content-Aware Fill Enhanced control over transparency, color effects, and blend modes Lighten and Darken tools for non-destructive image adjustments All current Photoshop paid plans now include Photoshop on iPad, Photoshop on the web, and the new mobile app. Adobe has emphasized its commitment to ethical AI development, ensuring that Firefly-powered tools are commercially safe. “Firefly is commercially safe and only trained on content that Adobe has permission to use, including licensed content from Adobe Stock and public domain content where copyright has expired,” the company stated. Additionally, content created using Firefly-powered tools will include Content Credentials, which serve as a “nutrition label” for digital content, promoting transparency in AI-generated media. Photoshop for iPhone is now available worldwide in the Apple App Store. The Android version is expected to launch later this year. Existing Photoshop customers will receive access to the new mobile app at no additional cost as part of their current plans. Image: Adobe This article, "Adobe Brings Photoshop to Mobile" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Adobe (Nasdaq: ADBE) has launched Photoshop for iPhone, bringing its widely used image editing and design application to mobile devices. The new app, available starting today, delivers Photoshop’s core tools, including layering, masking, and Firefly-powered Generative Fill, in a mobile-friendly interface. An Android version is set to launch later this year. The mobile expansion is part of Adobe’s broader initiative to make Photoshop more accessible, with the new mobile app and an enhanced web experience now included in all current Photoshop plans. According to Adobe, these additions provide flexibility for established Photoshop users while also welcoming a new generation of creators. The introduction of Photoshop’s mobile app marks the first time the software’s advanced editing capabilities are available in a single free mobile application. Users can create and edit visuals with Photoshop’s signature tools, including selections, layers, and masks. The app also features the Tap Select tool for easy image adjustments, the Spot Healing Brush for removing distractions, and Firefly-powered generative AI tools like Generative Fill and Generative Expand. The mobile app integrates with Adobe Express, Adobe Fresco, and Adobe Lightroom, allowing creators to transition between workflows seamlessly. Additionally, users can access Adobe Stock’s extensive asset library for added creative elements. Adobe has introduced a new Photoshop Mobile and Web plan, priced at $7.99 per month or $69.99 annually. This plan provides expanded access to Photoshop on the web and advanced editing features for mobile and iPad users. Features available in this plan include: Seamless transitions between mobile and web for cross-device editing Firefly-powered AI tools, such as Generate Similar and Reference Image, to enhance creativity More than 20,000 fonts with the ability to import additional options Object Select for precise selections of people and objects Advanced retouching tools like Remove Tool, Clone Stamp, and Content-Aware Fill Enhanced control over transparency, color effects, and blend modes Lighten and Darken tools for non-destructive image adjustments All current Photoshop paid plans now include Photoshop on iPad, Photoshop on the web, and the new mobile app. Adobe has emphasized its commitment to ethical AI development, ensuring that Firefly-powered tools are commercially safe. “Firefly is commercially safe and only trained on content that Adobe has permission to use, including licensed content from Adobe Stock and public domain content where copyright has expired,” the company stated. Additionally, content created using Firefly-powered tools will include Content Credentials, which serve as a “nutrition label” for digital content, promoting transparency in AI-generated media. Photoshop for iPhone is now available worldwide in the Apple App Store. The Android version is expected to launch later this year. Existing Photoshop customers will receive access to the new mobile app at no additional cost as part of their current plans. Image: Adobe This article, "Adobe Brings Photoshop to Mobile" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Sweeping geographic labels had sparked break-up speculation and been deemed inappropriate by some staff View the full article

As society becomes increasingly aware of people’s diverse needs, accessible design has become the hot topic. Years ago at Michael Graves Design, our president Donald Strum, our chief design officer Rob Van Varick, and I were reviewing student portfolios. All the designs were about sustainability. Today, we see a lot of focus on accessibility. We love it. This makes sense, because gaining empathy for your products’ future users is at the core of product design. The design community is ready for accessibility. Our challenge today is proving that it makes great business sense. At Michael Graves Design, we have long embraced accessible design; our North Star is activities of daily living (ADLs), a term used to describe the fundamental skills required to successfully live independently. Guided by our “Delight for All” philosophy, and with the ADLs prioritizing the most impactful objects to design, we’re dedicated to designing products that people love and products that enhance lives, regardless of age or physical ability. To do that, we look for product opportunity gaps—unmet consumer needs—and fulfill them with new product designs. By definition, this is pioneering, creating solutions that previously have not existed. We embrace pioneering as a cherished value that we want to share. Our true mission has been to design everyday objects in a way that works for the widest audience possible. At the same time, the products should look great and make users love them because the products enhance their lives. Brands want to make emotional connections with consumers and helping someone do something that was previously a struggle is the best way to fall in love. We understand that expanding the addressable market size is fundamental to growth and that people always want a better mousetrap. We’re designing products that give equal focus to style and safety. Democratization of design Michael Graves, an esteemed architect and designer, founded our firm with a visionary mission to shift design from abstract modernism to a human-centered approach that puts the person at the center of all design decisions. This philosophy brought color and art back into the built environment, and prioritized human comfort, understanding, and joy. This approach provides cognitive accessibility. Later, Michael Graves Design’s partnership with Target defined America’s expectation that great design should be affordable to everyone. Design became a corporate strategy. The democratization of design was born, and our company delivered financial accessibility. Over his last decade, after becoming paralyzed, Michael discovered the indignities the built environment imposed on people, and he became a passionate advocate among the disabled. This moved our company to focus on physical accessibility, directing the power of design to improve lifestyles and healthcare experiences for every body. Michael transformed the role of the architect in society and left the world a better place than he found it. Delight for All Now, our mission is Delight for All, to create moments of joy through products that are visually appealing, full of character and purpose, and designed to enhance people’s lives. We take pride in being one of the most accessible design brands, creating functional, beautiful products for every body and encourage other companies and designers to do the same. We’ve brought over 2,500 products to market, from our iconic teakettles to healthcare products that transform the acute care experience, to home products that prioritize universal accessibility and appeal. We create products with purpose and personality, safety, and style, so that no one has to choose between living with one or the other—the concepts can coexist harmoniously. This approach is rooted in empathy and an understanding of how profoundly good design improves quality of life, making everyday environments more intuitive and enjoyable for everyone. “Design for All” led to good design becoming a “cost of entry” consideration for most companies. Our brand ethos is now pushing other companies and designers to consider physical accessibility from the onset of their design processes rather than as an afterthought. Once this reaches critical mass and competition is everywhere, the promise of universal design will be achieved and we want to get there together. How is this done? To design any product with a Delight for All vision, a rigorous ethnographic research process, known as “Design With,” is essential to the discovery of novel functional enhancements. We start each design project by generating insights based on the lives of real people. We conduct interviews and observations with a diverse range of potential users, including older adults and individuals with disabilities. By understanding the unique needs of these communities, we ensure that our products are not only aesthetically pleasing but also practical and empowering, making them suitable for every body. Human-focused ethos This human-focused ethos guided our recent collaboration with Pottery Barn, where consumer preference testing feedback informed the designs for our new products. By prioritizing user feedback, companies can create designs that blend safety with style, showing that accessibility is as essential to great furniture design as are aesthetic considerations. Design has the power to enrich all of our lives and this collaboration allows us to make beautiful and purposeful furniture available to everyone. We also focus on collaborating with design schools and advocacy groups to raise awareness about the importance of accessibility in design, ensuring this ethos spreads. Our goal is to set new consumer expectations with products that seamlessly blend safety with style, proving to the world that accessible design makes great business sense by broadening the total addressable market. We remain committed to redefining accessible design, ensuring that innovation and empathy continues to shape a more inclusive world and want to see more brands do so with us. Accessible design is part of our ongoing mission: to create functional, accessible, and beautiful products that enhance the lives of every body, paving the way for a more inclusive world. Ben Wintner is CEO of Michael Graves Design. View the full article

Boomi is a popular iPaaS, or integration platform as a service, which allows enterprise teams to integrate essential systems and automate manual work. While it’s a popular platform, with customers like the Australian Red Cross, LinkedIn, and the American Cancer Society, it’s not necessarily the best option for every team. Let’s look at some of the best Boomi alternatives on the market. Unito: Best Boomi alternative for 2-way sync Unito is the best Boomi alternative for organizations that want enterprise-grade integration capability without waiting months to deploy their first successful integration. A Unito flow goes beyond the simple automations crowding the integration market, while keeping the same easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface. All that without sacrificing the deep integration functionality or customizability enterprise teams expect. Say, for instance, that your customer-facing teams — sales, marketing, and customer success — need to collaborate on a campaign to improve the quality of marketing-qualified leads and retain existing customers. Without the right integration solution, someone would have to manually copy and paste information back and forth between the tools these teams use, like CRM software, a ticketing solution, and the project management tool the marketing team relies on. And with solutions like Boomi, you’d have to wait weeks, maybe even months for your first integration to go live and actually impact this initiative. With Unito, that’s not a problem. Here’s why Unito is the best Boomi alternative on the market: Robust, easy-to-use integrations: Unito integrations strike the perfect balance between power and usability. Where other solutions take technical expertise, third-party consultants, and months to deploy, Unito can be deployed in days without technical help. True 2-way sync: Most integration platforms on the market only support one-way automation. Many others offer a 2-way sync that’s lacking crucial features like infinite loop detection and duplicate filtering. Automated field mappings: Field mappings pair fields in one tool (e.g. “reporter” in Jira) with fields in the other (e.g. “caller” in ServiceNow). This ensures all the data you need goes exactly where you need it. Many integration platforms expect you to map these manually, while Unito can do it automatically. Robust rules: Unito’s rules give you total control over what gets synced between tools, where it’s synced to, and what happens to items Unito creates. Deeper integrations: Most Boomi alternatives only support a few fields or simple actions without a dedicated technical expert and significant investment. Unito supports deeper integrations and you’ll see results without any technical expertise. Biggest advantages Unito flows can be set up quickly and simply, setting them apart from the integrations you’ll find in most Boomi competitors. Unito integrations are enterprise-grade (including advanced security features and SOC 2 Type 2 compliance) without the associated deployment times. Unito’s integrations support all sorts of tools, from project management platforms to DevOps tools and ERP platforms. Want to see how Unito compares with the most popular Boomi alternatives? Here are our full breakdowns: Unito vs. Tray.io Unito vs. Workato Biggest drawback Unito doesn’t have as many integrations as some of the other options in this list. Customer rating G2: 4.5/5 Capterra: 4.5/5 Want to see what sets Unito apart? Meet with our team and see why Unito is the best Boomi competitor on the market. Book a demo Tray.ai Tray.ai is an AI-ready iPaaS that’s your one-stop shop for your integration and AI agent needs. While many tools you already use offer some level of agentic AI, Tray.ai allows you to build, deploy, and fine-tune these agents across tools, rather than them being trapped in the platform they’re originally from. This tool’s integration features use recipe-based automation, which can be used to save manual work across even the most complex workflows. With over 500 connectors, you’d be hard-pressed to find a tool Tray.ai doesn’t integrate. Biggest drawback Tray.ai can have a significant learning curve. Organizations that don’t have the technical resources to invest in its deployment may not see a positive impact until months after deployment. Customer rating G2: 4.5/5 Capterra: 4.9/5 Workato Workato is a popular iPaaS with clients like Adobe, Atlassian, HP, and HubSpot. Its AI-first builder ensures that its users get access to the latest technological advancements when building their integrations, meaning their workflows don’t get left behind as the market leaps forward. Like many other integration solutions, it uses trigger-based automation, meaning that a work item has to be created or updated before data from it can be pushed to other tools. This allows Workato integrations to work across thousands of tools, but it’s more limited than a 2-way sync or similar technology. Biggest drawback Workato has a steep learning curve, and finding the right support options to troubleshoot more complex integration needs can be unnecessarily difficult. Customer rating G2: 4.7/5 Capterra: 4.7/5 TIBCO TIBCO is a more technical solution for application integration that allows IT teams and engineers to connect essential systems using more than 200 pre-built connectors. Many of these connectors fall within broader software ecosystems, like Amazon and Microsoft, but individual tools like Docusign, Jira, and ServiceNow are also supported. If you need a robust enterprise-grade data platform and you have technical resources to spare, this might be the right option for you. Biggest drawback TIBCO products are among some of the most expensive on this list, stretching even enterprise-sized budgets to their limit. Customer rating G2: 4.3/5 Capterra: 4.3/5 Celigo Celigo is an integration platform that allows organizations to automate essential processes, improve data flow through their workflows, and leverage prebuilt integrations to go from kickoff to deployment more quickly. Celigo has hundreds of prebuilt integrations, including Salesforce, Oracle NetSuite, Snowflake, Airtable, and Hootsuite. It also has a built-in API management platform, AI features, and more. Biggest drawback Troubleshooting can be a challenge, especially since features like activity logs aren’t running 24/7. Without a dedicated support team or internal IT infrastructure, a single issue with a single integration could bring your workflows to a screeching halt. Customer rating G2: 4.6/5 Capterra: 4.6/5 Get the best Boomi alternative While there are many Boomi alternatives for data integration, few offer what Unito does. A true 2-way sync, integrations that take days to deploy instead of months, and robust security features enterprise organizations expect. Ready to see what Unito can do? Book a demo FAQ: Boomi competitors Who are Boomi’s main competitors? Boomi has more than a few competitors. The top-rated among them include: Unito Tray.ai Workato TIBCO Celigo Is Boomi owned by Dell? While Boomi was once owned by Dell, it isn’t any longer. Is Mulesoft better than Boomi? That depends on your needs. Mulesoft is more suited to organizations that want to deploy AI agents, while Boomi is more suitable as an iPaaS (integration platform as a service). Is Boomi a good ETL tool? Boomi can be used for ETL (Extract, Transform, Load), but it’s designed to be used as an iPaaS (integration platform as a service). View the full article

A coalition of national financial organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief for preemption after regulators filed one against it in a key servicing case. View the full article

Improve your local business's visibility with schema. Learn how structured data can help search engines understand and showcase your website better. The post Local SEO Schema: A Complete Guide To Local Structured Data & Rich Results appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

On Wednesday, Utah became the first state in the country to pass legislation mandating that app stores verify users’ ages and get parental consent for certain activity on minors’ accounts. The controversial App Store Accountability Act, which will now head to the desk of Utah Governor Spencer Cox, has pitted app store giants Google and Apple against social media companies like Meta and is part of a wave of similar proposals that have been introduced in a number of states, including Texas and Alabama. The bill received broad support from the social media platforms that have borne the brunt of criticism for failing to protect children online. Those platforms have long argued that app stores themselves ought to take on more responsibility to shield kids from harmful apps. In a statement provided on behalf of Meta, Snap, and X, a Meta spokesperson applauded Utah for “putting parents in charge” with the passage of the law. “Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way,” the statement reads. “The app store is the best place for it.” App stores, of course, see things differently. Google declined Fast Company’s request for comment, and Apple didn’t respond. But Chamber of Progress, a tech advocacy group that represents both companies, has come out forcefully in opposition of the legislation. In public testimony and writing platforms, the group has accused the bill of infringing on the First Amendment rights of Utah’s citizens and violating their privacy by forcing app stores to collect sensitive data in order to verify ages. Chamber of Progress has argued the law would require companies to collect even more data than they already do. In a statement to Fast Company, Chamber of Progress’s government relations senior director Robert Singleton suggested a legal battle would inevitably follow if the bill is signed into law. Indeed, another law in Utah that attempted to require social media platforms to verify users’ ages was blocked in court last year on First Amendment grounds. Similar social media age-verification laws in other states have also been blocked, but that has not deterred states, including Utah, from approaching the issue from a new angle. And yet, Singleton predicted, “The same thing is likely to happen here. This bill invades everyone’s privacy and forces even adults to share sensitive data just to use their own devices.” Utah state representative Jim Dunnigan, who sponsored the bill in the State House, says parent groups were a significant force in getting the legislation over the finish line. “This is at least partly driven by parents who are concerned about the adult contacts that their children have available to them,” he says. “Parents aren’t always there, and their kids are curious. We’re trying to protect them until they get older.” One leading child advocacy group that has been circulating the bill across the country as model legislation is the Digital Childhood Alliance. In a statement, the alliance’s founding chair Melissa McKay said, “The momentum behind this issue is growing, and today’s victory is a testament to the urgent need for accountability from the platforms that shape the digital lives of children.” In addition to requiring app stores to verify ages and get parental consent every time a child wants to download or purchase something on an app, the bill would require app stores to share age categories and consent data with developers. It would also enable minors or their parents who have been harmed to file a civil suit against app stores. Utah’s governor was supportive of the social media age-verification law that was blocked, and according to Rep. Dunnigan, Governor Cox is expected to support this new bill as well. If that happens, it seems unlikely the app store giants will go down without a fight. A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal revealed how Apple’s lobbying blitz in Louisiana helped kill a similar attempt to regulate the App Store. In the meantime, the company appears eager to send a message that it’s prepared to implement changes without regulation. Last week, in apparent anticipation of the law’s passage, Apple announced a slew of new child-safety offerings, including giving parents the ability to share their children’s ages in the App Store—information that is then passed on to app developers. That’s a welcome step, says Rep. Dunnigan, but “we need consistency across all platforms, and that’s what this bill tries to accomplish.” View the full article

Similarweb is powerful for digital intelligence. But like any tool, it has limitations. You might want deeper insights into your competitors’ content strategies. Or need more reliable data for SEO planning. Or you’re simply looking for a more affordable solution. I’ve spent months testing and researching the best Similarweb alternatives to see how they compare. Four tools stand out as replacements. This guide covers the top options for: Market trends Advanced SEO analysis Ad intelligence Similarweb Limitations While Similarweb excels at competitor intelligence, it might not fit everyone. Here are some key limitations: Limited SEO and keyword research features: It lacks in-depth keyword rankings, SERP tracking, and backlink analysis, making it less effective for SEO professionals Limited keyword and backlink databases: Similarweb’s databases are smaller compared to its competitors like Semrush and Ahrefs Limited traffic source breakdown: It doesn’t show a detailed breakdown of where the website gets traffic from (e.g., organic search, social media, referrals, email, etc.) No granular audience demographics: Unlike some alternatives, Similarweb lacks detailed demographic breakdowns, such as income level or interests, that could help with audience targeting Similarweb Alternatives at a Glance Before I review each tool in detail, here’s a quick comparison of the best Similarweb alternatives: Best for Standout Feature Price Starts at Semrush .Trends Getting a detailed overview of competitors’ digital strategy Comprehensive traffic source analysis and traffic journeys $428.95 per month Ahrefs Site Explorer SEO and backlink analysis In-depth keyword research, competitor content tracking $129 per month Serpstat Budget-friendly SEO and PPC analysis Keyword gap analysis, competitor PPC insights $59 per month Exploding Topics Discovering emerging trends before they peak AI-powered trend forecasting, 12+ months of predictions Free plan available Semrush .Trends Best for marketers who want detailed competitor intelligence and market trends Pricing: $139.95 (Semrush Pro plan) + $289 (.Trends add-on) = $428.95 per month Semrush .Trends helps you spy on your competitors’ traffic and uncover hidden market opportunities. It shows you how much traffic your competitors get, where that traffic comes from, and how engaged their visitors are. Plus, you can use Market Explorer to spot emerging industry trends before your competition. Why consider Semrush .Trends over Similarweb? Let’s take a glance: Semrush Similarweb Primary Focus Competitor intelligence and SEO analysis Competitor intelligence and general market research Traffic Source Breakdown Detailed insights into specific channels More generalized traffic source analysis Keyword Database 26 billion keywords 5 billion keywords Backlink Database 43 trillion backlinks 3.6 trillion backlinks Who’s It for? Digital marketers, SEO professionals, business strategists Market researchers, businesses, or investors analyzing industries Here are the key features included in .Trends: Traffic Analytics Traffic Analytics shows you your competitors’ traffic and where it comes from. It also reveals useful SEO performance metrics, including: Total monthly traffic Top traffic sources Best-performing content Visitor engagement metrics And you’ll get detailed insights into website traffic and visitor behavior that’ll help you refine your marketing strategy. Let me show you how to use Traffic Analytics to spy on your competition. Evaluate On-Site Engagement Metrics like pages per visit, average visit duration, and bounce rate give you a snapshot of what happens when visitors land on the site. Here’s what these metrics tell you about your competition: A high bounce rate means most visitors leave without exploring other pages. This often happens when: The content doesn’t match what visitors were searching for Pages take too long to load The site isn’t mobile-friendly On the flip side, when you see a high average visit duration and multiple pages per visit, it usually means: Their content keeps readers engaged They’ve built effective content funnels Their site navigation makes it easy to explore more content Analyze Website Traffic Sources Go to the “Traffic Journey” tab to understand where your competitors’ website visitors are coming from and which channels are driving the most traffic. For example, organic search, paid search, social, or referrals. What do these metrics mean? If you see most of their traffic comes from organic search (like in the screenshot above), you’ve struck gold. This usually means: They’ve built a solid foundation of SEO-optimized content They’re targeting the right keywords for your industry They’re not overly dependent on paid traffic Pro tip: Pay special attention to competitors maintaining steady organic traffic growth. These are the ones whose SEO strategies you’ll want to study and adapt for your own site. Map Out the Traffic Journey The Traffic Journey report is like a GPS for your competitors’ visitors. It tracks their exact path before and after they land on the site. Here’s what different traffic patterns reveal: Pattern #1: When you see visitors flowing from Google → Your competitor → Stripe (or other payment processors), you’ve found a winning formula: Their content matches search intent perfectly (thanks to a solid SEO strategy) They’ve built a high-converting sales funnel They’re turning organic traffic into customers Pattern #2: Notice lots of visitors bouncing back to Google.com? That’s a red flag indicating: The content isn’t delivering what visitors want There might be technical issues causing frustration You’ve spotted a gap you can fill with better content Discover Top-Performing Pages Navigate to the “Top Pages” tab to identify which pages on a competitor’s site drive the most traffic. These top pages reveal what resonates most with their audience. This offers inspiration for your content strategy. Let’s say you run a personal finance blog. You might discover that NerdWallet’s most-visited pages are their: Mortgage calculator tools Credit card comparison guides Student loan refinancing reviews This tells you three things: What type of content your audience want (interactive tools and comparison guides) Which topics drive the most traffic (mortgages, credit cards, student loans) Where to focus your content strategy for maximum impact Market Explorer Market Explorer helps you evaluate your market size and track up to 100 competitors at once. The tool shows you who’s leading your industry, who’s growing fast, and detailed insights about your target audience’s demographics and behavior. Here’s what you can do with Market Explorer: Get a Market Summary The Market Summary dashboard shows you a snapshot of your chosen industry. Let’s say you’re just starting a business in the travel and tourism industry. This dashboard gives you the key metrics to evaluate the market and plan your strategy effectively: Here’s what the key metrics on this dashboard mean: Market consolidation: Shows if a few big players dominate your market (high consolidation) or if it’s spread across many smaller sites (low consolidation) Market domains: How many active websites compete in your space Market traffic: How many monthly visitors the entire industry gets (and whether it’s growing or shrinking) Market traffic cost: How much you’d need to spend on ads to get the same traffic volume Market size: Two key numbers that matter: Total Addressable Market (TAM): Your maximum possible audience size (example: “all online shoppers”) Serviceable Available Market (SAM): The audience you can realistically reach (example: “online shoppers in your country”) Analyze Audience Insights The Audience section provides a detailed breakdown of your industry’s demographics, socioeconomic data, and behavioral trends. These insights help you understand your target audience on a deeper level. This will allow you to tailor your marketing strategies to their specific needs and preferences. Market Explorer even shows detailed audience socioeconomic data. For instance, their employment status, education level, and household income and size. You’ll also see an overview of your audience’s additional interests. And what social media they use the most. Strengths & Limitations Strengths Limitations Understand where competitors get engagement from (organic search, social media, email, ads) No mobile app intelligence Tailored for SEO intelligence as it’s an all-in-one SEO platform Further reading: Semrush Review: My #1 Choice for SEO Success Ahrefs Site Explorer Best for SEO professionals looking to analyze competitors’ organic traffic Pricing: Starting at $129 per month Ahrefs’ Site Explorer is an SEO-focused alternative to Similarweb. It provides detailed insights into competitors’ organic traffic and SEO strategies. Why should you consider Ahrefs’ Site Explorer over Similarweb? Here’s the high-level feature comparison: Ahrefs Similarweb Primary Focus SEO and backlink analysis Competitor intelligence and general market research Traffic Source Breakdown Organic and paid traffic insights More generalized traffic source analysis Keyword Database 28.7 billion keywords 5 billion keywords Backlink Database 35 trillion backlinks 3.6 trillion backlinks Who’s It for? SEOs and content marketers analyzing SEO competition Market researchers, businesses, or investors analyzing industries Now, let’s review the key features Ahrefs Site Explorer offers. View Your Competitors’ Top Pages Site Explorer lets you identify the highest-value content on your competitor’s website. Plus, the top organic keywords driving that traffic. Use these insights to replicate their success. Let’s say you’re running a personal finance blog that competes with NerdWallet. You can analyze their top-performing pages to spot content opportunities. In this example, the mortgage rates page is one of the most visited. This means that “current mortgage rates” is a high-demand topic worth covering on your website. Review the Site Structures of Your Competitors Ahrefs’ Site Structure feature shows a website’s architecture in a tree format with key SEO metrics across each section and subfolder. This helps you analyze how competitors organize their content and which sections attract the most traffic. For example, when you analyze one of your competitors, you can see: Which content categories drive the most organic traffic (e.g., reviews, mortgage guides, or financial calculators) The traffic performance of individual pages and subfolders How much organic and paid traffic each section receives, pinpointing opportunities for content optimization [missing-ss] Strengths & Limitations Strengths Limitations Helps identify high-value content opportunities Less emphasis on broader market research Have a look at competitors’ site architecture No data on your competitors’ audience (age, location, interests, etc) Further reading: 7 Best Ahrefs Alternatives (Free and Paid) Serpstat Best for SEOs and PPC advertisers looking for a budget-friendly tool for competitor analysis Pricing: Starts at $59 per month; freemium version available Serpstat is a budget-friendly SEO and PPC intelligence tool that analyzes competitors. It finds keyword opportunities and improves search rankings. Why should you consider Serpstat over Similarweb? Let’s take a glance: Serpstat Similarweb Primary Focus SEO and PPC competitor analysis Competitor intelligence and general market research Keyword Database 7 billion keywords 5 billion keywords Backlink Database 1.5 trillion backlinks 3.6 trillion backlinks Who’s It for? SEOs, content marketers, PPC advertisers Market researchers, businesses or investors analyzing industries Analyze Any Site’s SEO Imagine you run a high-end salon in Philadelphia and want to compete with top-ranking salons like Salon OKO. Serpstat’s Site Analysis > Competitors feature lets you compare multiple competitors side by side, showing common keywords and missing keywords. But what do these metrics mean for you? Common keywords are those you and your competitors rank for. This tells you: Who ranks higher, and where you need to improve. For example, if your competitor ranks #1 for a keyword while you’re at #10, you may need to update your content. Missing keywords are keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t. This is an important insight because it can reveal: High-value content gaps and cover topics your competitors are already benefiting from New keyword opportunities, i.e., terms that are already proven to generate traffic in your industry Keywords that competitors dominate while your site doesn’t show up at all, likely because of indexing issues Further reading: 8 Top Keyword Research Tools (Free & Paid) Then, for each competitor’s domain, you can access detailed insights, such as: Domain overview report: Get a bird’s-eye view of their SEO performance, including total organic traffic, keyword rankings, and estimated traffic value Positions and keywords: See exactly which keywords they rank for, what position they’re in, and how these rankings change over time Top pages: Discover their highest-traffic content and the exact keywords driving visitors to each page (perfect for finding content gaps in your own strategy) Backlink profile: Analyze where their backlinks come from, which pages get the most links, and how their link profile grows over time Site audit: Peek under the hood at their technical SEO setup, including site structure, loading speed, and potential technical issues you can learn from Why do these insights matter? They let you reverse-engineer your competitors’ success to improve your SEO strategy. And find high-authority sites linked to your competitors. Then, reach out to these websites for backlink opportunities. Further reading: Link Building Strategies: The Complete List Spy on Competitors’ PPC Campaigns Serpstat’s Ads Examples feature lets you analyze your competitors’ paid search strategies. This helps you optimize your ad performance. Here’s what you can learn from these examples: See what’s working for your competitors. Identify real ads competitors run and spot patterns in messaging, offers, and calls to action (CTAs). Find best-performing keywords. View which keywords each competitor’s ad ranks for to identify high-converting terms worth targeting. Analyze landing page strategies. Discover where competitor ads direct users. Is it a homepage, a booking page, or a dedicated landing page? Strengths & Limitations Strengths Limitations More budget-friendly than Similarweb or other alternatives Smaller keyword and backlink databases Analyze competitors side by side Lacks multi-channel traffic data Detailed PPC analysis lets you see ad examples that perform well for competitors Further reading: Serpstat Review: Is This SEO Tool Worth It? Exploding Topics Best for entrepreneurs and marketers needing early trend insights to capitalize on emerging opportunities Pricing: Free (paid plans start at $39 per month) Exploding Topics is a market research and trend discovery tool that identifies emerging trends before they peak. While Similarweb focuses on existing competitors, Exploding Topics helps you spot rising trends before they take off. The tool analyzes search data, social media, and startup activity to identify tomorrow’s opportunities. Why is Exploding Topics better than Similarweb? Let’s take a glance: Exploding Topics Similarweb Primary Focus Trend discovery and market opportunities Competitor intelligence and market research Trend Detection AI-driven trend forecasting Relies on historical industry data Keyword Database Identifies rising search trends Tracks established search volume Competitive Analysis Limited, focused on macro trends Detailed competitor insights Who’s It for? Entrepreneurs, product developers, investors Market researchers, large enterprises Here are the key features included in Exploding Topics: Discover Emerging Trends Before They Peak Exploding Topics analyzes millions of data points from search engines, social media, online discussions, and startup investments to identify growing trends. What does this mean for you? Let’s say you have an affiliate blog selling home technology. You want to see what’s trending to understand which products or keywords have rising demand before they become mainstream. Using Exploding Topics, you discover that “walking pads,” compact treadmills designed for home offices, are rapidly gaining traction. This early insight gives you three key advantages: You can create content while competition is still low You can rank for keywords before they get expensive You can establish yourself as an authority before the trend peaks In other words: you get more traffic with less effort by being first. Spot Trends 12+ Months Before They Take Off Exploding Topics’ forecasting feature can position you as an early authority and rank faster in search. Imagine creating content around AI image enhancers. At first glance, it’s hard to tell if the interest in AI-powered image tools will continue to grow or if it’s just temporary hype. Instead of guessing, you check Exploding Topics’ forecasting data. And see that the search volume for “AI logo generator” is expected to rise steadily. Knowing the keyword’s popularity may rise gives you the confidence to take action early and secure organic traffic before the competition. Note: Forecasting is available in Exploding Topics Pro, but you can test it with a 14-day trial for $1. After 14 days, Pro memberships start at $39 per month. Strengths & Limitations Strengths Limitations Provides long-term trend growth insights Not focused on competitor intelligence Predicts emerging trends before they peak Doesn’t show competitors’ website traffic data Match Your Similarweb Alternative to Your Growth Stage Your business stage determines which tool you’ll need. Just starting out? Exploding Topics gives you free baseline data to validate ideas. Ready to scale? Semrush .Trends reveals overlooked opportunities in your space. The right tool accelerates your market research. But knowing how to interpret the data is what drives real growth. Ready to turn market insights into sales? Our proven market analysis framework shows you exactly how to spot and capitalize on gaps your competitors are missing. The post 4 Similarweb Alternatives for Better Competitor Research appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article

In recent weeks, as President Trump has made huge cuts to federal programs, let go of thousands of federal workers under the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and given U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) more authority, we’ve seen tons of criticism of the president’s executive orders. Even some who voted for Trump, but have lost their jobs as a result of Trump’s firings, have admitted they now regret their decision and have turned on the president. Despite all that, the president’s approval rating is going up among Gen Z, according to a new poll from AtlasIntel conducted between February 24 and February 27. Overall, the president’s rating remains largely unchanged. In the survey of 2,849 U.S. adults, Trump’s overall approval rating was 50.3%—a slight gain from a poll taken days after he took office for the second time, when it was 50.1%. However, the evaluations varied greatly by age group. The survey showed Trump gaining points among the Gen Z group of people ages 18 to 29: 41.3% approved of him in the previous poll taken days after the inauguration. In the new poll, the number is 52.7%. Men felt more favorably than women, according to the poll, with 53.8% of men approving of the president, as opposed to 46.9% of women. Millennials felt differently, with 77.2% saying they disapprove of the president. The survey didn’t offer a clear explanation for why Trump is gaining popularity among Gen Z. However, when asked about the president’s policy proposals, more respondents overall approved of plans like “mass deportations of undocumented immigrants” and “starting negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine.” He gained 8 points on the first proposal, and 9 on the latter. Trump hasn’t actually deported more illegal immigrants than President Biden. But he has ramped up ICE’s authority. And despite pitching himself as the “honest broker” of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it’s worth noting that in February, just one day after AtlasIntel’s poll closed, Trump held a contentious meeting in the Oval Office with Ukraine’s President Zelensky in which the two sparred over negotiations. In the recent survey, Trump also gained 4 points in his proposals to roll back “federal protections for gender identity procedures.” Trump has given executive orders that would make it harder, if not impossible for transgender youth to receive gender reassignment surgery or medications that support their true gender identity. The plans are terrifying for many in the transgender community, including those who have already been living as a certain gender who depend on certain medications, as well as parents of transgender kids. While Gen Z’s reasoning may not be entirely clear, one thing we do know is that young Gen Z white men voted overwhelmingly for Trump (67%). At the same time, many young men have felt threatened by shifting gender roles, including rights for women and LGBTQ+ individuals, which far-right influencers have framed as a turn away from traditional masculinity. In a 2023 survey, young men said they increasingly felt they experienced gender discrimination. Nearly half of all men ages 18 to 29 identified with feeling discriminated against, more than any other age group. View the full article

As steep tariffs on Canadian goods took effect this week, banks on both sides of the border expressed concern about the economic fallout and the uncertainty their customers face. View the full article

Buyers face decreased return on investment as home prices and rates remained at challenging levels while economic uncertainty clouded the outlook, Redfin said. View the full article

When Google rolled out AI Overviews for Search last year, it didn't go over so well. The company's AI made some pretty massive mistakes with its results, many of which went viral. In response, Google pulled back the feature, reworked it, and slowly reintroduced it to the masses. You've probably noticed. This month, Google is continuing its work of adding AI to Search—whether you want it or not. First, it's rolling out a new version of AI Overviews that's powered by Gemini 2.0, the company's latest AI model. Google says this update will help with "harder questions," like coding, math, and multimodal (prompts using different types of media) requests. In addition, teens can now see AI Overviews, as can users without a Google Account. Yippee. Introducing AI ModeBut the larger AI announcement from Google is something the company is currently testing: AI Mode. See, Google says that they've heard from "power users" that they are looking for AI responses from more of their Google searches. In response, AI Mode lets you ask the AI multi-part questions, that offers more advanced reasoning, thinking, and multimodal functions. On paper, it sounds like a more complex AI Overview, but it's a bit more nuanced than that. AI Mode is its own tab in Search, that turns the UI into more of what you'd expect from ChatGPT or Gemini. Google says this experience is supposed to combine what would've taken multiple searches into one: You ask the AI something complicated, it reasons through it (showing its thinking along the way) and delivers a full answer with multiple results, claims, and summaries—citing its sources for each of its generations. Credit: Google Google says AI Mode uses a “query fan-out” technique to generate its results. Essentially, it searches for multiple related things at the same time, combining those results together into the response you see at the end. AI Mode pulls from many different data points for its results, including web results, Google's Knowledge Graph, and shopping data. Google uses the following query to demonstrate this approach: “What's the difference in sleep tracking features between a smart ring, smartwatch and tracking mat?" AI Mode supposedly takes that multi-part question, develops a multistep "plan" to conduct a number of searches to find the information, and changes that plan according to the results it returns. This is still obviously a work in progress (as AI search is across the board) so Google says AI Mode won't get it right all the time. In fact, you may simply see a result of just web links, if the program thinks the AI result isn't good enough. I'm not sure how useful AI Mode actually is, especially when compared to either searching with Gemini, or a traditional Google Search (especially one without the AI). I'll need to wait until Google lets me try the feature out for myself before making any judgement calls. My guess, though, based on my current experience with AI, is that I'll prefer the usual Search method. How to try Google's AI ModeIf you have any interest in trying Google's new AI Mode, there are a couple ways to get in. First, if you are a Google One AI Premium subscriber, you'll be among the first to be invited to try out AI Mode in Labs. If you aren't a subscriber, however, you'll need to jump on the waitlist. Sign into your Google Account, then head to Google Labs. Under "Introducing the AI Mode Experiment," choose "Join waitlist." Google will then bring you to a page advertising the feature, where you can confirm you are on the waitlist. View the full article

Mental health resources have become a crucial corporate benefit among employers who are looking to recruit the best talent, with more and more companies now offering access to therapy and wellness apps. Even so, many workers report feeling like they don’t have the support they are seeking—particularly as they encounter rising levels of stress in and out of the workplace. In a new report from mental-health-benefits provider Lyra Health, 89% of the 7,500 employees surveyed said they had faced at least one mental health challenge over the past year, citing stress and anxiety as the biggest issues. In many cases, work was the leading source of their stress—namely, overwhelming workloads and staff shortages—and 73% of employees believed that those work-related mental health issues were, in turn, impacting their performance in the workplace. There are, of course, other factors driving these mental health challenges, from the political climate to financial stress. Women were more likely to cite caregiving responsibilities as a reason for their stress—though in comparison to their male counterparts, they also reported higher levels of anxiety and mental health struggles on the whole. Despite all this—not to mention, the growing investment in mental health benefits across corporate workplaces—many employees claimed to have limited access to the support they need or want. While the majority of workers said their employers care about their mental health and take stock of their well-being, only 29% of respondents think their workplace provides adequate mental health resources. (Of the 500 HR and benefits leaders who were surveyed, however, 45% argued that their companies offer those resources.) More than half of younger workers are likely to switch jobs in the next year to find more comprehensive mental health support, with millennials being the most likely to take advantage of those resources. But nearly all employees surveyed said they strongly consider mental health benefits when looking for jobs. There are signs that employees don’t always use mental health benefits even when they are available to them; also, that there can be a disconnect between which benefits employers typically offer and what their workers might be looking for. But companies have also seen the effects of securing these benefits for their workers: 81% of HR and benefits leaders said that mental health offerings had boosted their company’s reputation and made it a more appealing opportunity for job candidates. It’s clear that workers are clamoring for more mental health support—and that along with fertility and family-building benefits, these resources can be a real differentiator for employers who are looking to attract and retain top talent. View the full article

Over the past few weeks, Republican lawmakers around the country have faced angry questioning and booing at GOP town halls from constituents who are upset with mass federal layoffs, among other controversial moves by the Trump administration. Now, after a series of tense confrontations, Congressional Republicans have been advised to hold their historically in-person town halls online. It’s hard not to note the irony here: The same party that’s requiring federal employees to work in-person full-time has finally learned to embrace the power of a simple Zoom meeting from the comfort of their own homes. All it took, apparently, was some criticism from their own voters. In response to the onslaught of hostile instances, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) encouraged members to host town halls on Facebook Live and other virtual avenues so that they could screen questions in advance and have more control over the event, ABC News reported. The news comes after Kansas Senator Roger Marshall was booed at a town hall he held in a hospital on Tuesday. At a Texas town hall on Saturday, a raucous crowd continually heckled Republican Rep. Keith Self. And weeks ago, Georgia Republican Rep. Rich McCormick faced intense criticism at a town hall, where a constituent told him: “we are all fricking pissed off.” After the NRCC’s meeting, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that many of the disruptions in the town halls came from “professional protestors.” There’s no evidence that this is true. This move to make town halls virtual has elicited backlash from voters who want to see lawmakers held publicly accountable for their actions. Several petitions have circulated urging these lawmakers back into the public eye; one asking Republican Senator Thom Tillis to hold a Charlotte town hall has gathered over a thousand verified signatures at the time of writing. And several similar petitions have begun to populate Change.org, a website that allows users to create and sign online petitions. In a Tuesday morning X post, former vice presidential candidate Tim Walz offered to host in-person town halls in lieu of Republican lawmakers who refuse to do the same. “If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will,” Walz wrote. “Hell, maybe I will. If your congressman refuses to meet, I’ll come host an event in their district to help local Democrats beat ‘em.” View the full article

Los Angeles County said Wednesday that it’s suing Southern California Edison, alleging the utility’s equipment sparked January’s Eaton Fire, which destroyed more than 9,400 structures and killed 17 people in the Altadena area. The lawsuit seeks to recover costs and damages sustained from the blaze that damaged “essential community infrastructure” and “massively impacted the County’s natural resources, harmed the environment and wildlife, and threatened public health,” LA County said in a statement. Additional costs have been incurred by county departments for ongoing support in assisting residents recovering from the fire’s destruction, according to the lawsuit. “The County’s case is essential to the restoration and rebuilding process for the community, including residences and businesses, to recover from the devastation,” the statement said. Edison was reviewing the lawsuit and “will address it through the appropriate legal process,” utility spokesperson Kathleen Dunleavy said Wednesday. The fire’s cause is still under investigation. The complaint alleges that witnesses, photos, and videos indicate the fire started directly under Edison transmission lines in Eaton Canyon. The county seeks to recoup costs and receive compensation for destroyed infrastructure, recreational areas, parks, road damage, cleanup and recovery efforts, flood and mudslide prevention, workers compensation claims, overtime for workers, lost taxes and more. Costs and damage estimates were expected to total hundreds of millions of dollars, the county said, adding that assessments were ongoing. “We are committed to seeking justice for the Altadena community and the taxpayers of Los Angeles County,” County Counsel Dawyn R. Harrison said in a statement. The County, the County Flood Control District, and the County’s Consolidated Fire Protection District are the plaintiffs in the case. The cities of Pasadena and Sierra Madre are also filing suits against Edison for damages to taxpayer resources and public infrastructure incurred from the Eaton Fire, according to the county. —Christopher Weber, Associated Press View the full article