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OpenAI released GPT-5.1 Instant and Thinking models with improved instruction following and adaptive reasoning. The post OpenAI Releases GPT-5.1 With Improved Instruction Following appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Asked what viewers should expect when television’s MSNBC makes its corporate divorce from NBC News final this weekend, network president Rebecca Kutler points to a poster on the wall of a conference room at its new offices off Times Square. Its message reads: “Same Mission. New Name.” “To me, that encapsulates exactly what we need to be saying,” Kutler said. “Our job in the next few weeks is to flood the zone … and make sure they know the thing that they love will be the exact same thing on Nov. 15.” Saturday is when MSNBC officially becomes MS NOW, standing for My Source for News, Opinion and the World. That’s the most visible manifestation of parent company Comcast’s decision to spin off most of its cable networks into a new company known as Versant. It’s tough enough when one partner tells another that they’re leaving for someone new. In this case, they’re just leaving the partner behind; a cable television network is considered such a diminishing asset in today’s media world that giant companies would rather be free of them. “A lot of us really didn’t know what it meant,” said prime-time host Jen Psaki, “and it didn’t feel great initially.” Embracing the ethos of a startup Left on its own, MS NOW is embracing the ethos of a startup, suggesting it will be better positioned to experiment without ties to the more corporate NBC News. “Morning Joe” is starting its own newsletter. Podcast ideas are encouraged. The network is expanding live events, letting its television stars interact with the audience; Rachel Maddow has one in Chicago later this month. “I didn’t see this as a divorce,” said nighttime host Michael Steele. “I see this as the kid growing up and leaving home. We all know what that’s like.” As Kutler says, the network’s focus on news and commentary with a liberal perspective remains intact. So does its lineup of stars — Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, Ari Melber and the like. MS NOW has built its own reporting and support staff, and is moving into a new headquarters west of Broadway in Manhattan that is, not incidentally, the former longtime headquarters of The New York Times. The new office, tricked out with the latest electronics, ends one geographical oddity: No longer are the political polar opposites MSNBC and Fox News Channel located across Sixth Avenue from one another. The MS NOW news staff has about three dozen reporters, among them Washington Post alums Jackie Alemany and Carol Leonnig. It has signed partnerships with Sky News for international reporting and AccuWeather for forecasting. “Being divorced from NBC News gives it the opportunity to make deals on its own to supplement its cable existence,” said longtime broadcast and cable news executive Kate O’Brian, who spent several years at ABC. They have a strong identity and a built-in audience of people who oppose President Donald The President, she said. “They’re lean, nimble and niche, putting them in a better position to adapt to any emergent platforms,” O’Brian said. MS NOW is leaner in audience than MSNBC was a year ago. The network’s prime-time weekday average of 1.17 million viewers this year is down 29% from 2024 — a number linked in large part to its viewers’ disappointment at the presidential election results. Fox News Channel, popular with The President supporters, is up 14% to 3.11 million viewers. Yet MSNBC has roughly twice the audience of CNN, which saw an identical 29% decrease in viewers over the first nine months of 2025. MSNBC was also buoyed by a strong election night performance where it ran neck-and-neck with Fox, even while missing the khaki-clad numbers nerd, Steve Kornacki, who chose to remain with NBC News. MS NOW’s freedom appealed to reporters Jacob Soboroff, who chose it over NBC News, and Rosa Flores, who said she is joining the newly-named network from CNN primarily because she sees the opportunity to do a greater variety of things beyond the immigration beat she’d been covering. “All the legacy news organizations are trying to make their way,” Flores said. “I felt like being part of a news organization that was building solutions from the ground up was so unique that I wanted to be a part of it.” Being part of a news operation with a clear political identity was not a barrier for Soboroff. “It’s about the people for me, always, it’s not about the politics,” he said. “I feel like I do what I’ve always done, which is report the facts on the ground, turn them around to our audience and let the audience make up their own minds about what they think.” Cleaning out the office at Rockefeller Center The company is spending a reported $20 million on a marketing campaign designed to publicize the changeover, which will include billboards in Times Square, the Grove in Los Angeles and the South Capitol Digital Experience Wall in Washington, D.C. Far cheaper is the mug with MSNBC crossed out and replaced by MS NOW on the set of “Morning Joe.” Co-host Mika Brzezinski recently cleared out her Rockefeller Center office and reminisced about times that NBC’s Richard Engel and Keir Simmons appeared on their show. “We’re going to miss some reporters,” she said, “and they’re going to miss us.” With a rapidly evolving media landscape, success or failure will ultimately be decided by who has the content people most want to see, said her co-host and husband, Joe Scarborough. “If this were five years ago, I would have been, ‘Oh, my God, how are we going to do this?’” he said. “Everything is so fluid now.” —David Bauder, AP media writer View the full article

White House says bill could be signed by President The President on Wednesday nightView the full article

A Georgia resident filed the suit after receiving two unsolicited calls from the lender in October even though her number appeared on the Do Not Call registry. View the full article

S&P and Moody’s award Edinburgh investment-grade status as it plans first bond issue since late 17th century View the full article

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced a $50 billion investment in computing infrastructure on Wednesday that will include new data centers in Texas and New York. Microsoft also on Wednesday announced a new data center under construction in Atlanta, Georgia, describing it as connected to another in Wisconsin to form a “massive supercomputer” running on hundreds of thousands of Nvidia chips to power AI technology. The latest deals show that the tech industry is moving forward on huge spending to build energy-hungry AI infrastructure, despite lingering financial concerns about a bubble, environmental considerations, and the political effects of fast-rising electricity bills in the communities where they’re constructed. Anthropic, maker of the chatbot Claude, said it is working with London-based Fluidstack to build the new computing facilities to power its AI systems. It didn’t disclose their exact locations or what source of electricity they will need. Another company, cryptocurrency mining data center developer TeraWulf, has previously revealed it was working with Fluidstack on Google-backed data center projects in Texas and New York, on the shore of Lake Ontario. TeraWulf declined comment Wednesday. A report last month from TD Cowen said that the leading cloud computing providers leased a “staggering” amount of U.S. data center capacity in the third fiscal quarter of this year, amounting to more than 7.4 gigawatts of energy, more than all of last year combined. Oracle was securing the most capacity during that time, much of it supporting AI workloads for Anthropic’s chief rival OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT. Google was second and Fluidstack came in third, ahead of Meta, Amazon, CoreWeave, and Microsoft. Anthropic said its projects will create about 800 permanent jobs and 2,400 construction jobs. It said in a statement that the “scale of this investment is necessary to meet the growing demand for Claude from hundreds of thousands of businesses while keeping our research at the frontier.” Microsoft has branded its Atlanta data center as Fairwater 2, after the original Fairwater complex being built near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company said it will help power its own technology, along with OpenAI’s and other AI developers. Microsoft was, until earlier this year, OpenAI’s exclusive cloud computing provider before the two companies amended their partnership. OpenAI has since announced more than $1 trillion in infrastructure obligations, much of it tied to its Stargate project with partners Oracle and SoftBank. The tech industry’s huge amount of spending on computing infrastructure for AI startups that aren’t yet profitable has fueled concerns about an AI investment bubble. Investors have closely watched a series of intertwined deals over recent months between top AI developers such as OpenAI and Anthropic and the companies building the costly computer chips and data centers needed to power their AI products. Anthropic said it will continue to “prioritize cost-effective, capital-efficient approaches” to scaling up its business. —Matt O’Brien, AP technology writer View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Peloton's app and its fitness equipment have tons of options for workouts, but they can't do everything. If you track some of your workouts with other devices, like a Garmin watch or bike computer, they wouldn't show up in your Peloton workout history—until now. A new Garmin integration is rolling out, and here's how it works. How to link your Peloton and Garmin accountsThe new integration allows Peloton to import workouts from Garmin Connect. Garmin Connect is the name of the Garmin app, so this means workouts you do on a watch (say, your Forerunner 570) sync to the Garmin Connect app, and from there to Peloton. This does not require a Garmin Connect+ paid subscription, nor a Peloton paid subscription. I have neither, and I was still able to set up this integration. Here's how you do it: In the Peloton app, go to the You icon in the bottom right. Tap the hamburger menu in the top right. Select Connected Apps & Devices. Tap the Garmin icon and follow the prompts. You can choose whether to automatically import activities (you'll probably want to say yes), and you can also select specific activity types. For example, you can tell it to import only running and cycling, or you could tell it to import everything except hiking. Peloton says that imported workouts will count toward goals and challenges, but not toward your Peloton streak. Credit: Beth Skwarecki Once you've set this up, new activities you do with Garmin will appear in your workout history. Some information comes through, but not necessarily everything. For example, I did a short Pilates workout with named exercises. The Peloton app shows me its duration, calories, and a heart rate graph including zones. But it does not include the names of the exercises, even though the Garmin app has that information. My treadmill running workout showed the above, plus graphs of pace and speed, but didn't mark laps or give any of the advanced data that Garmin collects, like running dynamics. How to sync both waysUnfortunately this new integration only goes one way. Garmin workouts show up in your Peloton app, but Peloton workouts don't sync to your Garmin history. To sync Peloton workouts to your Garmin account, one popular way is to use a third-party app called SyncMyWorkout. This service isn't affiliated with either company, but you can sync it with both your Peloton and Garmin accounts so it acts as a middleman. When you set it up, it will import your past week's workouts for free, as a demo. To continue using it, there's a subscription fee of $7 per month or $25 per year. This assumes you have an active Peloton membership but does not require a paid Garmin membership. For a more expensive but more DIY approach, there's also the DFC, a $125 box that plugs into your Peloton Bike and transmits workout data via Bluetooth directly to your Garmin device. No Peloton account is needed, and I was able to get it working perfectly with an out-of-subscription Bike. View the full article

Oscar-winning actors Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey have made deals with voice-cloning company ElevenLabs that will allow its artificial intelligence technology to replicate their voices. Caine said in a statement that ElevenLabs is “using innovation not to replace humanity, but to celebrate it.” “It’s not about replacing voices; it’s about amplifying them, opening doors for new storytellers everywhere,” said the 92-year-old British actor in a written statement. McConaughey also said he is investing in the New York-based startup and has had a relationship with it for several years. Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed. McConaughey said the deal will enable him to voice his newsletter in Spanish. Founded in 2022 and based in New York, ElevenLabs initially developed its technology to dub audio in different languages for movies, audiobooks, and video games to preserve the speaker’s voice and emotions. But shortly after its public release, ElevenLabs said in January 2023 it was seeing “an increasing number of voice cloning misuse cases” and promised new safeguards to tamp down on abuse, including limiting features to paid users. A year later, however, a digital consultant was able to use ElevenLabs software to mimic then-President Joe Biden’s voice in a robocall message sent to thousands of New Hampshire voters. The company now says it has additional measures to block the cloning of celebrity and other high-profile voices without their consent. View the full article

The one-cent copper piece fell victim to digital payments and rising production costsView the full article

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, building on an executive order by President The President, wants to eliminate the legal framework of "disparate impact" from its implementation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. View the full article

For many Americans, 2025 has been tough economically. Tariffs have raised the price of goods from coffee to clothing, inflation is still rising, and more than 1 million jobs have been cut since January. Then came the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which furloughed some 670,000 federal workers. Another roughly 730,000 had to keep working, just without pay, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. And amid that came a pause in SNAP benefits, which left 42 million Americans without the food stamps that help them afford groceries. SoLo Funds, a community finance platform, has seen the impact of these events firsthand. Requests for loans on the SoLo platform relating to EBT and SNAP increased 32% since October 1, compared to the year prior. Loan requests relating to the government shutdown or furloughs—like users saying they missed their paycheck because of the shutdown or that they were waiting on furloughed pay—surged 775% as of October 1, compared to the average weekly volume of requests in the months prior. While there wasn’t a government shutdown before October, SoLo says it did see references to those terms earlier in the year, linked to delayed paychecks, budget freezes, or agency funding pauses. The 775% spike represents a increase from thousands of dollars in loan requests to hundreds of thousands of dollars, per the company. And throughout 2025, SoLo funds says its continued to see spikes in loan requests for basic necessities like groceries, rent, and utilities. How SoLo Loans work SoLo is a financial service, but it doesn’t operate like a typical bank. Members can get a checking account and a debit card, plus access to the loan marketplace. There, they can make loan requests, citing a reason that they need the money. Other members can then scroll through the marketplace of loans and choose to fund someone’s loan directly. Instead of a hefty interest rate—like those that come with Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) or payday loans—loans through SoLo come with a flat fee; interest doesn’t compound or accrue over time, and there’s no penalty for late payments. And yet SoLo says its repayment rate is above 94%. Borrowers can also leave a tip for lenders. Travis HolowayRodney Williams “What we have been able to quantify is that working-class Americans, the heart and soul of our country, even in times of low or inconsistent income, they tend to figure it out,” says president and cofounder Rodney Williams. “With standard loan products, you can’t get a loan if you’re figuring it out. You can’t get a loan in between jobs.” SoLo does not require proof of income for its loans, instead requiring a snapshot of cashflow; its AI underwriting process then provides a score to the user. The company first launched in 2018 and has raised $15.5 million in funding to date. That isn’t exactly significant capital compared to top fintech companies. Stripe, Chime, and SoFi, for example, have all raised billions of dollars (and the latter two are now publicly traded). But Williams says SoLo sees 20% growth every quarter. “The people have decided they need this,” Williams says. Community finance in action Overall, the top five reasons people request SoLo loans are for utilities, rent, medical bills, pet bills, and then car repair. Requests for groceries have spiked recently too. “These are measures of consumer confidence and sentiment,” Williams says. SoLo has grown to more than 2 million users who are actively on the platform “to make ends meet,” he adds. Since its launch, users have provided $700 million in loans to other individuals. The SoLo Funds loan request is around $250. Members can borrow up to $625, but first-time borrowers start at $100 and earn the ability to request higher amounts as they repay on time. That loan requests specifically for furloughed workers, the government shutdown, EBT, and SNAP have increased since October highlights both how Americans continue to face financial struggles and how community support has emerged as a stopgap. “[Those Americans] came to community finance . . . and asked for people to help. And guess what? They got funded, because people can see this person is just in between situations because of the government,” Williams says. “Like, this is a good person, I’m going to bet on that person.” Community support has surged as people have felt abandoned by their government. Across the country, individuals have shared resources for federal workers and donated food to those in need. SoLo considers itself another form of community support; its loans can be used for anything, in any situation—unlike Buy Now Pay Later, which requires the merchant to offer that option (someone likely can’t use BNPL to fix their flat tire, Williams notes) or even Earned Wage Access, which requires someone have a paycheck coming from which they can draw funds early. That option isn’t available to furloughed or laid off workers, for example. Strangers helping strangers The government shutdown is now near a possible end, but many Americans may still need financial help, especially since healthcare premiums are set to increase substantially, after the Senate failed to extend the Affordable Care Act subsidies. “Americans were struggling before the shutdown and they’re going to be struggling after,” Williams says. Though the stock market is strong, he notes, many Americans are underemployed, and fears of AI taking over jobs may keep those Americans from “being employed at the level they should be,” he adds. Plus, nearly 40% of Americans don’t own any stocks and so aren’t seeing those gains. Despite these challenges, Williams is buoyed by the empathy he sees on SoLo’s platform, of individuals connecting and helping one another in times of need. “Everyday, thousands of people lend to and borrow from a stranger,” he says. “Everday, I see little American miracles of empathy.” View the full article

Introduction of new cap comes after retailers warned some higher-rate taxpayers were exploiting the perkView the full article

Smart glasses maker Even Realities today released its latest model, the Even G2 Display Smart Glasses. Featuring a monochrome display, stylish frames, and a unique ring controller, G2s are available now for $599. In contrast to Meta Ray-Ban Displays' "do-everything" approach, G2s are designed to do one specific thing: provide a smart display that only the wearer can see. Instead of a camera and speaker, the G2s feature a suite of basic apps, like a teleprompter and a map that you can see with a tilt of your head or a touch of your ring, packed into a pair of light, slick-looking designer frames. The idea is to create cool-looking everyday glasses that are useful instead of obtrusive. Improvements over the last generation of Even Realities smart glassesI reviewed Even Realities' G1 smart glasses (and even used them to scam a free drink) and found them impressive. Well, Even Realities says these are even better. It has improved on the micro-LED display from the last generation—which is pretty great already—to provide a bigger, sharper, and brighter display that includes two-level 3D, so certain information can appear closer to your field of view. Another new wrinkle is contextual AI: Switch it on during a conversation, and, according to the company at least, your glasses will silently display "suggestions for a more meaningful exchange" that only you will be able to see. If implemented correctly, this feature could be a useful way to augment your life—and if it can provide closed captioning for conversations, I'm fully on board. All of the above is controlled via a smart ring that lets you click, tap, and scroll. It also monitors your vital signs and health information, so you could display a live-read of your heart-rate or the number of steps you've taken that day. A new app infrastructure (and third-party support)Those are all welcome upgrades, but maybe the most interesting improvement isn't to the G2's hardware. On its website, Even Realities promises third-party app support is coming soon. G1 glasses do everything they're designed to do really well, but the actual use cases are fairly limited—a teleprompter is cool, but how often do you really give speeches? Opening the glasses up to developers who want to make something new on the Even OS could result in a must-have app, or at least improve apps the glasses already have. Even Realities nailed the basics with the G1, and these technical improvements and G2’s app support could turn a great concept into an everyday essential. That is, if everything works. Once I test 'em out, I'll let you know how they match up to what's being promised. View the full article

America’s aviation system is straining under the weight of the longest government shutdown on record: thousands of flight cancellations, long delays at major airports, and frustrated travelers nationwide. In an unprecedented move, the Federal Aviation Administration last week ordered airlines to scale back domestic flight schedules, saying the cuts are meant to ease pressure on an overstretched system and help manage air traffic control staffing. Unpaid for more than a month, some air traffic controllers have begun calling out of work, citing stress and the need to take on second jobs—leaving more control towers and facilities short-staffed. The numbers show the shutdown’s toll on air travel: 40 Major U.S. airports where all commercial airlines have been required to cancel flights since Nov. 7 under the FAA’s orders. The list spans more than two dozen states and includes large hubs such as New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago. 12 Airports on the FAA’s list of 40 where the agency also expanded restrictions to limit business jets and many private flights. 4% The initial reduction in flight schedules ordered by the FAA. 10% The FAA’s ultimate flight cut target, which is expected to take effect Friday. The agency has said the restrictions will remain in place until staffing in its air traffic control facilities stabilizes and safety measurements improve, even if the shutdown ends before Friday. 1.9 million Daily passengers who use the 40 airports where flights have been reduced, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. 5.2 million Passengers who have been affected by staffing-related delays or cancellations since the government shutdown began on Oct. 1, according to Airlines for America. The industry trade group represents Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue. 9,500 Flights canceled between Nov. 7, the first day of the FAA-required cuts, and mid-day Wednesday, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware. 30 The average number of air traffic control facilities that had staffing issues during the six weekends since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. That is almost four times the number on weekends this year before the shutdown, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans sent through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. $10,000 How much President Donald The President suggested air traffic controllers should receive as a bonus if they didn’t miss any days of work during the shutdown. The President also threatened docking pay for those who haven’t stayed on the job. $285 million to $580 million The daily U.S. economic impact once the FAA’s 10% cuts take effect, according to Airlines for America, which said its estimate factors in reduced visitor spending, state and local tax revenue and spending across the broader economy. —Rio Yamat, Associated Press Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller contributed. View the full article

A penny for your thoughts? Well, maybe try a nickel. Though it will remain legal tender, the last-ever one-cent coin was printed Wednesday—and not without some drama. After being in circulation for 232 years, the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia hosted a ceremonial event during which U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach struck the final circulating penny. There are an estimated 300 billion pennies currently in circulation, a number “far exceeding the amount needed for commerce,” the Mint said in a statement but retailers say they’ve already been dealing with coin shortages and a lot of confusion about how to price goods and services. It took about nine months for the penny’s final day to arrive. In February, President Donald The President announced that he had instructed the Mint to stop making the coin, citing the rising cost of production. Indeed, the Mint said the cost of making a penny has more-than doubled during the past decade, to 3.69 cents per penny. The coin has long been a target of lawmakers: As far back as 1989, legislation has periodically been proposed to limit or eliminate penny production. But its death knell ultimately came at the hands of Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year. THE PRO-PENNY GROUP Even though end days for the penny were announced in February, retailers and penny proponents are now grappling with what its elimination means. A perhaps-surprisingly vocal group has fought for years to keep the penny in our pockets. Americans for Common Cents is a pro-penny lobbying group that has an incentive to keep the coins in circulation as it is primarily funded by Artazn, the company that provides the blanks used to make pennies. Americans for Common Cents argued in February that the penny is not as problematic as it seems and eliminating this coin will actually increase minting costs if demand surges for nickels, which are even more expensive to mint. In response to The President’s announcement about the penny’s end days, the group advocated instead for modernizing the currency system and, instead of eliminating the penny, focusing on making coin production more efficient. Since then, phasing out the penny has been “a bit chaotic” partly because there’s “no real plan” for what retailers should do, Mark Weller, executive director of Americans for Common Cents, told CNN on Wednesday. When countries like Canada, Australia and Switzerland removed low-denomination coins from circulation there was guidance for retailers—and that’s not been the case in the U.S., he said. “By the time we reach Christmas, the problems will be more pronounced with retailers not having pennies,” Weller told CNN. PENNY PAIN FOR RETAILERS But a penny shortage has already arrived, affecting retailers like gas stations that handle a lot of these coins. And retail groups told Reuters last week that they’re frustrated by the lack of guidance they’ve received from the The President administration, which has forced them to round down transactions to avoid upsetting customers and violating laws in some states. Kwik Trip, which operates about 900 convenience stores in the midwest, announced last month that all cash purchases will be rounded down to the nearest five cents—and that the policy will remain in place until a “permanent legislative solution” is enacted. Rounding down transactions may not seem like a big deal, but it could become a significant cost for high-volume businesses where pennies are commonplace. And to counteract the coin shortage, some stores are offering incentives to customers who pay with pennies, according to Reuters reporting. “Any merchant that accepts cash is grappling with this,” Dylan Jeon, senior director of government relations with the National Retail Federation, told Reuters. A spokesperson for the Treasury Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from Fast Company with any guidance for retailers. PENNY LEGACY The penny was first minted in 1792 and has seen many evolutions in materials over its lifetime, including during World War II when it was made from a zinc-coated steel due to a copper shortage in 1943. The image of President Abraham Lincoln first appeared on the penny in 1909 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of his birth. While pennies for circulation will be discontinued, the Mint will continue to produce a limited quantity of the coin for historical and collector purposes. And it’s mostly focused on celebrating the copper-colored coin. “While general production concludes today, the penny’s legacy lives on,” Kristie McNally, acting Mint director, said in a statement. “As its usage in commerce continues to evolve, its significance in America’s story will endure.” View the full article

Six hundred employees just packed up their desks and quit their jobs at Paramount Skydance. The mass exodus happened after the company, formed by Skydance Media’s takeover of Paramount Global, told employees that they were instating a five-day back-to-office mandate, set to begin on January 5. The company, led by new CEO David Ellison, let staffers know that if they didn’t plan to come back to the office, they could take a buyout deal starting on September 15. However, the media giant likely didn’t expect to be handing out quite so many severance packages. According to company disclosures filed on Monday, around 600 employees in the Los Angeles and New York offices at the vice-president level and below took the deal, which reportedly cost Paramount Skydance $185 million in “restructuring changes.” While the company may be trimming employees, it doesn’t seem to be trimming spending. The company called for “incremental programming investments in 2026 in excess of $1.5 billion.” Paramount said it had already trimmed about 1,000 employees earlier this year and expects to cut around 1,600 more, as the company moves to divest both Televisión Federal in Argentina and Chilevision in Chile in an attempt to “ensure continued focus.” The restructuring comes after Ellison took charge of the company post-merger and pressed the importance of in-person work. “I believe that in-person collaboration is absolutely vital to building and strengthening our culture and driving the success of our business,” Ellison wrote in a September memo. “Our people are the key to winning, and being together helps us innovate, solve problems, share ideas, create, challenge one another, and build relationships that will make this company great.” Still, an $185 million price tag seems a tad excessive for more collaboration. Either way, Paramount is not the only media giant to enforce a return-to-office mandate. NBCUniversal recently announced workers would have to return to the office at least four days a week, in a similar policy beginning in January. Comcast, the parent company of NBCU, previously did the same. While employees leaving in large numbers due to such mandates seems like a major upheaval, some research says that is the point (at least in part). According to a 2024 Bamboo HR report, back-to-office mandates can help companies avoid layoffs. Per the report, nearly 2 in 5 managers, directors, and executives (37%) say their company enacted layoffs in the last year because fewer employees than they expected quit during their RTO. Likewise, 25% of VP and C-suite executives and nearly 1 in 5 HR pros (18%) say they actually hoped employees would voluntarily leave amid mandates. Either way, back-to-office mandates are fairly unpopular, so the true cost to companies remains to be seen. However, when it comes to media giants, at least, some of the cost will trickle down to the customer. Paramount Skydance is planning to raise Paramount+ subscription prices starting January 15. Both the Essential (ad-supported) plan and Premium (ad-free) plan will go up by $1, to $8.99 and $13.99 per month, respectively. “Our ongoing investments in Paramount+ are enhancing the value we deliver to consumers,” Ellison said. “To support this continued investment, we plan to implement price increases in the U.S. early in the first quarter of 2026.” View the full article

Just a week after self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani made history as New York City’s first Muslim to be elected mayor, fellow Democrat Jack Schlossberg—President John F. Kennedy’s (JFK’s) grandson—announced he is also running for office in New York City, in the Empire State’s 12th Congressional district. If elected, he would represent New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. Both men are among a wave of young, progressive, charismatic candidates calling for change, amid a backlash to not only Donald The President’s second-term agenda, but also a historically unpopular Democratic Party that many feel are doing too little, too late. That list of progressives also includes Arizona representative-elect Adelita Grijalva; Robert Peters, who is running in Illinois’ 2nd district; and Graham Platner, a democrat running for senate in Maine in a bid to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins. But there are a number of parallels between Mamdani and Schlossberg in particular. Both are in their early 30s and grew up attending high school in New York City. They also come from political-minded families with impressive mothers. Mamdani’s mom is Indian-American activist filmmaker Mira Nair, while Schlossberg’s mom, Caroline Kennedy, is a lawyer, former U.S. Ambassador to Australia and Japan, and a civic-minded head of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. At 34 years old, Mamdani will be New York City’s youngest mayor since 1892, while Schlossberg, 32, is running to replace retiring longtime Democrat Representative Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), who is 78 and has held the seat for over 30 years in the liberal district that includes the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, Midtown, and Chelsea. (That’s also where Schlossberg was born and raised, and currently lives.) Both Mamdani and Schlossberg are also wildly popular on social media, in part for their fresh-faced looks and upbeat, pragmatic-but-populist approach to making the world (or at least New York City) a better place. Old money, fresh face To that end, Schlossberg’s newly minted campaign website, which bears the URL “Jackfornewyork,” introduces the candidate as a “A New Generation for New York” and features pictures of “Jack” (JFK’s nickname, and Schlossberg’s namesake) riding his bike in Manhattan with a backpack, not unlike his famous uncle, to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance. (At 6’2 and with signature Kennedy looks, Schlossberg also has a large female following on social media.) Like Mamdani’s campaign, Schlossberg’s website emphasizes his practical-but-populist approach to leadership. “Jack wants to take his fight to Congress to make sure New Yorkers have a voice that represents their values and amplifies their fight,” it reads. “He’s focused on rooting out corruption, defending civil rights and personal freedoms, making housing affordable, protecting public health, and rebuilding trust in government.” (Sounds a lot like Mamdani, no?) Where “Jack” might get into trouble, however, is his political inexperience. While he is a Kennedy, and has been in the family business for a while—which includes various duties, including presenting the Profile in Courage Award at the JFK Library in Boston—this is his first run for office. Mamdani also was criticized for lacking experience, but he at least ran for mayor after he was first elected to the New York State Assembly. What Schlossberg does have going for him: He enters the race with the political clout of the Kennedy name and a large, established social media following across platforms, including Instagram, where he goes by “jackuno” and has 739,000 followers. Online, he is part influencer, part instigator, often challenging political opponents whether his own uncle, Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr.; The President; or Vice President Vance, who he has trolled incessantly, making what some have criticized as inappropriate jokes about his wife, Usha (including jokes about having a child with her). In that sense, Schlossberg’s informal approach, his tell-it-like-it-is political commentary, and his sense of humor could be what New Yorkers want in a candidate to help turn the city around—or it could be the very thing that undoes him in his race for Congress in 2026. Only time will tell. View the full article

Google is adding one of the iPhone's most controversial features to its latest Pixel phones, but it's promising to show a bit more restraint than Apple did. Yes, as part of the November 2025 Pixel feature drop, Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 phones (excluding the Pixel 9a) are getting AI notification summaries. The problem with AI notification summariesIf you're reeling back after reading that, I don't blame you. This is one of the few AI features Apple beat Google to the punch on, and when they came out during the iOS 18.3 beta, the summaries were quickly criticized for handling hard topics like breakups with a cold tone, as well as for misreporting the news. Apple quickly pulled news summaries (although they've since come back) and made it clearer when an AI was writing a notification, but it seems Google's still being a bit more cautious with its launch. How AI Notification Summaries on Pixel work Credit: Google Rather than trying to organize every notification you might get, Google's AI Summaries are just starting off with popular chat apps for now, including its own Messages app and alternatives like WhatsApp. Additionally, they'll only kick in on "longer chats," with the idea being to give you, "digestible conversation recaps." That means you're going to see far fewer AI notifications than on the iPhone, which currently uses them for news, entertainment, chats, email, and more. That's probably a safer approach for Google, but it does mean the AI summaries are meant to be used more to get you quickly back up to speed, rather than for organization (although that will change in the future). As on the iPhone, AI notification summaries on the Pixel will be indicated by a small icon with a sparkle and a few lines below it, with the summary following. They'll also be italicized for additional visual distinction. How to turn on AI Notification Summaries on PixelGoogle is also exercising caution by making its AI notification summaries entirely opt-in. That means you'll need to manually turn them on before you start seeing them, which you can do under Settings > Notifications > Notification Summaries. While on this page, you'll also be able to exclude certain apps from sending AI notification summaries, by adding them to the "Don't include these apps" list. If you're still not seeing the summaries after enabling them, ensure your Android System Intelligence is enabled under Settings > Notifications > Privacy > Notification read, reply & control. Additionally, summaries will not be generated while your phone is in battery saver mode, or while you're actively using it (per Google, for them to kick in, "the screen must be off for a moment"). When will my Pixel get AI Notification Summaries?AI Notification summaries start rolling out today, alongside the November system patch. However, they're not automatically included in the downloadable patch, so it might be a while before you see them (I don't have them yet). It's still not a bad idea to get your phone fully up-to-date in the meantime. To download the November 2025 Pixel update, either wait for a notification from Google, or head to Settings > System > Software updates to manually check if it's been rolled out to you yet. What's next for Pixel's AI Notification Summaries?While today's update is clearly just Google dipping its toes in the water, the company does have bigger plans for December, where some Pixels will also start automatically silencing "lower-priority notifications" and will start automatically sorting them into categories like "News" and "Promotions." Hopefully, Google will have learned some lessons from Apple by the time those features go live. View the full article

Plummeting polling numbers and a misguided Downing Street briefing add to febrile environment View the full article

JPMorgan, BlackRock and Goldman Sachs bosses among more than a dozen top financiers attending the eventView the full article

HR Solutions Software is a thorough suite of tools intended to improve various human resource functions, such as recruitment, onboarding, and payroll management. By centralizing employee data and automating processes, it minimizes errors and boosts efficiency. For instance, automated tracking can streamline hiring, whereas data analytics aids in informed decision-making. Comprehending its features and benefits can greatly impact your organization’s productivity and employee engagement. Let’s explore how to select the right software for your needs. Key Takeaways HR Solutions Software streamlines and automates HR functions, enhancing organizational efficiency and reducing time spent on routine tasks. It centralizes employee data management, improving accuracy and accessibility while ensuring compliance with labor laws. Key features include applicant tracking, performance management, and learning management systems, all designed to enhance recruitment and employee development. Employees benefit from self-service portals for accessing information, improving engagement, and enriching their overall work experience. Businesses gain data-driven insights through built-in analytics, enabling informed decision-making and strategic HR initiatives. What Is HR Solutions Software? HR solutions software encompasses a range of applications designed to streamline and automate key human resources functions, which can improve efficiency in your organization. These HR platforms provide tools for recruitment, onboarding, payroll, performance management, and compliance tracking. By centralizing employee data management, this software improves accessibility and accuracy while minimizing human error through automation. For instance, human resources onboarding software can simplify the new hire process, allowing new employees to complete paperwork online. Furthermore, these systems often include self-service portals and analytics tools, empowering employees and enabling data-driven decision-making. In the end, by automating routine tasks, HR solutions software frees up your HR teams to concentrate on strategic initiatives, ensuring compliance with labor laws and reducing the risk of penalties. Key Features of HR Solutions Software Organizations looking to improve their human resources capabilities will find that HR solutions software offers a variety of key features designed to streamline operations and improve overall efficiency. A central component is the Human Resource Information System (HRIS), which centralizes employee data management and payroll processing. Furthermore, ADP Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) improve recruitment by facilitating job postings and CV screening. Performance Management Software digitizes performance reviews, incorporating tools for goal-setting and feedback to support employee development. Learning Management Systems (LMS) help track training progress and guarantee compliance with mandatory requirements. Finally, built-in analytics tools provide insights into workforce performance and recruitment metrics, enabling data-driven decision-making that ultimately increases organizational effectiveness. Benefits of HR Solutions Software for HR Departments HR solutions software offers significant advantages for HR departments by streamlining administrative processes, enhancing recruitment efficiency, and improving data management. With automated payroll and attendance tracking, you can reduce the time spent on routine tasks, allowing you to concentrate on strategic initiatives. Furthermore, features like applicant tracking systems not only speed up hiring but likewise provide valuable insights for better decision-making and workforce planning. Streamlined Administrative Processes Although administrative tasks can often consume a significant portion of an HR department’s time, implementing HR solutions software can dramatically streamline these processes. This software automates routine functions like attendance tracking and payroll processing, freeing up valuable time for your team. By centralizing employee data management, it improves accuracy and reduces human errors, ensuring compliance with labor laws. In addition, streamlined onboarding processes help new hires acclimate quickly, boosting their productivity from the start. Performance management tools within the software allow for real-time feedback and goal tracking, promoting employee engagement and accountability. Moreover, HR solutions software provides valuable analytics, enabling you to make informed, data-driven decisions that align with your organization’s goals and improve overall efficiency. Enhanced Recruitment Efficiency In regards to improving recruitment efficiency, utilizing HR solutions software can transform the hiring process considerably. By implementing these tools, you can streamline various aspects of recruitment, making it faster and more effective. Here are four key benefits: Automation: Automate job postings, resume screening, and interview scheduling, potentially reducing time-to-hire by up to 50%. Data Analytics: Utilize data to optimize job ad placements, ensuring you attract the most suitable candidates. Onboarding: Streamline onboarding by allowing new hires to complete paperwork electronically, easing administrative burdens. Communication Tools: Enhance candidate engagement through integrated communication features, improving the overall experience and increasing acceptance rates. Improved Data Management Effective recruitment is only one aspect of what HR solutions software can offer; improved data management is another significant benefit that can transform HR departments. By centralizing employee data, you can easily access, update, and maintain accurate records in one secure location, reducing discrepancies. Automated data collection minimizes manual entry errors, letting you focus on strategic initiatives rather than administrative tasks. Advanced analytics tools provide insights into workforce trends, improving decision-making. Real-time updates guarantee compliance-related documentation is current, reducing the risk of penalties. Integration with other business systems streamlines data sharing and communication, promoting collaboration. Feature Benefit Example Centralized Data Management Reduces discrepancies Single source of truth Automated Data Collection Minimizes manual errors Time-saving processes Advanced Analytics Informs strategic decisions Workforce trend analysis Real-Time Updates Guarantees compliance Current employee documentation System Integration Improves collaboration Seamless data sharing Benefits of HR Solutions Software for Employees HR solutions software offers a range of benefits that greatly improve the employee experience within an organization. With these tools, you can manage your own personal information effortlessly and enrich your daily work life. Here are some key advantages: Self-Service Portals: Access your details, request time off, and view pay stubs independently. Improved Onboarding: New hires can integrate into the company more smoothly, boosting comfort and productivity from day one. Employee Engagement Tools: Participate in surveys and recognition programs that encourage a positive workplace culture. Performance Management Features: Set personal goals, receive real-time feedback, and track your progress, aligning your contributions with the organization’s objectives. These features collectively enrich your overall work experience. Benefits of HR Solutions Software for Businesses Though many businesses face challenges in managing human resources effectively, leveraging HR solutions software can greatly streamline operations and improve productivity. By automating routine administrative tasks, you can free up your HR team to focus on strategic initiatives, improving overall efficiency. Centralizing employee data not only enhances compliance with labor laws but also reduces the risk of penalties, promoting accountability. Furthermore, the software simplifies recruitment and onboarding, allowing you to fill roles more quickly and improve the candidate experience. Employee self-service portals boost satisfaction by giving staff easy access to personal information and performance metrics. Finally, the analytics and reporting features enable data-driven decision-making, which can lead to better employee engagement and productivity. Types of HR Solutions Software When considering HR solutions software, you’ll find two main categories: core HR systems and additional HR solutions. Core HR systems, like HRIS and HRMS, focus on centralizing employee data, payroll, and performance management, whereas additional solutions, such as Applicant Tracking Systems and Learning Management Systems, address specific needs like recruitment and training. Comprehending these types can help you choose the right software to streamline your HR processes effectively. Core HR Systems Core HR systems serve as the backbone of effective human resource management, integrating various functionalities to streamline processes and improve organizational efficiency. These systems encompass crucial tools that help you manage your workforce effectively. Here are some key types of core HR systems: Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS): Centralize employee data management, payroll processing, and benefits administration. Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS): Offer extensive functionalities, including recruitment, performance evaluation, and HR analytics. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Improve recruitment efficiency by streamlining job postings, interview scheduling, and CV screening. Payroll Software: Automates tracking of employee work hours and pay rates, ensuring compliance and accuracy. Additional HR Solutions In today’s dynamic workplace, several additional HR solutions software types can greatly improve your organization’s human resource management capabilities. Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) manage employee data, whereas Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) streamline hiring by tracking applicants. Payroll Software simplifies payroll processes, ensuring accuracy and compliance. Learning Management Systems (LMS) centralize training, augmenting employee skills and meeting compliance needs. Benefits Administration Software simplifies managing employee benefits, making enrollment and tracking easier. Employee Engagement Software promotes communication through surveys and recognition tools, encouraging a positive culture. Finally, Time and Attendance Software automates employee hours and time-off requests, reducing administrative burdens and minimizing payroll errors. How to Choose HR Solutions Software How do you determine the right HR solutions software for your organization? Start by aligning your HR vision with your overall business strategy, ensuring the software addresses your specific pain points. Gather input from key stakeholders to define necessary features and functionalities. Next, research various HR software options, focusing on features relevant to your needs, like recruitment, payroll, and performance management. Here’s a simple checklist to follow: Align HR vision with business strategy. Gather input from key stakeholders on features. Research available HR software options. Evaluate shortlisted software through demos and trials. Finally, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the software’s effectiveness post-implementation. This process will help you choose the best HR solutions for your business. Implementing HR Solutions Software in Your Business When you implement HR solutions software in your business, you can greatly streamline administrative tasks, allowing your HR team to concentrate on more strategic initiatives. Automating processes like payroll, recruitment, and onboarding boosts efficiency, freeing up time for higher-value activities. By centralizing employee data management, you improve accessibility and facilitate real-time updates, which increases collaboration across departments. Furthermore, the software helps guarantee compliance with labor laws by tracking necessary documentation and deadlines, minimizing the risk of penalties. With performance management tools, you can support goal setting and feedback, driving both productivity and engagement. Many solutions are cloud-based, offering mobility and accessibility as well as reducing the need for hardware investments, leading to significant cost savings for your business. Exploring Free Trials of HR Solutions Software Are you considering HR solutions software but unsure if it’s the right fit for your organization? Free trials are a valuable way to explore these tools without commitment. During the trial, you can: Assess the software’s functionalities, like payroll processing and onboarding. Evaluate time and cost savings by streamlining HR tasks. Test integration capabilities with your existing systems to guarantee compatibility. Gather feedback from employees on usability and effectiveness. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the Benefits of HR Software? HR software offers numerous benefits that streamline your HR processes. It automates tasks like payroll and attendance, freeing up time for strategic initiatives. With features like Applicant Tracking Systems, it improves recruitment efficiency, enhancing candidate experiences. Centralizing employee data helps guarantee compliance with labor laws and reduces manual errors. Self-service portals allow employees easy access to their information, boosting engagement. Moreover, analytics provided by HR software support data-driven decision-making, optimizing workforce management. What Are HR Solutions? HR solutions are digital tools designed to optimize human resources processes. They automate tasks like recruitment, onboarding, payroll, and performance management, making your HR operations more efficient. By centralizing employee data, these solutions improve compliance with labor laws and minimize errors. Moreover, they enable better communication across departments and provide analytics for informed decision-making. What Are the Three Main Types of HR Software Solutions? The three main types of HR software solutions are Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). HRIS focuses on employee data management and payroll, whereas HRMS integrates various HR functions like recruitment and performance management. ATS streamlines the hiring process by automating job postings and candidate screening. Each system serves distinct HR needs, allowing you to choose the best option based on your organization’s goals. What Is HR Software? HR software includes various applications designed to streamline human resource functions. It automates tasks like payroll processing, attendance tracking, and compliance management, allowing you to save time and reduce errors. Common types of HR software are Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and performance management tools. Conclusion In conclusion, HR Solutions Software is crucial for modern businesses looking to streamline their human resource processes. By improving recruitment, onboarding, and payroll management, it helps HR departments operate more efficiently during the enhancement of employee experiences. The benefits extend beyond HR teams, positively impacting overall business performance through better data management and compliance. By carefully selecting and implementing the right software, you can greatly improve productivity and focus on strategic initiatives that promote organizational growth. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is HR Solutions Software and How Can It Benefit Your Business?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

HR Solutions Software is a thorough suite of tools intended to improve various human resource functions, such as recruitment, onboarding, and payroll management. By centralizing employee data and automating processes, it minimizes errors and boosts efficiency. For instance, automated tracking can streamline hiring, whereas data analytics aids in informed decision-making. Comprehending its features and benefits can greatly impact your organization’s productivity and employee engagement. Let’s explore how to select the right software for your needs. Key Takeaways HR Solutions Software streamlines and automates HR functions, enhancing organizational efficiency and reducing time spent on routine tasks. It centralizes employee data management, improving accuracy and accessibility while ensuring compliance with labor laws. Key features include applicant tracking, performance management, and learning management systems, all designed to enhance recruitment and employee development. Employees benefit from self-service portals for accessing information, improving engagement, and enriching their overall work experience. Businesses gain data-driven insights through built-in analytics, enabling informed decision-making and strategic HR initiatives. What Is HR Solutions Software? HR solutions software encompasses a range of applications designed to streamline and automate key human resources functions, which can improve efficiency in your organization. These HR platforms provide tools for recruitment, onboarding, payroll, performance management, and compliance tracking. By centralizing employee data management, this software improves accessibility and accuracy while minimizing human error through automation. For instance, human resources onboarding software can simplify the new hire process, allowing new employees to complete paperwork online. Furthermore, these systems often include self-service portals and analytics tools, empowering employees and enabling data-driven decision-making. In the end, by automating routine tasks, HR solutions software frees up your HR teams to concentrate on strategic initiatives, ensuring compliance with labor laws and reducing the risk of penalties. Key Features of HR Solutions Software Organizations looking to improve their human resources capabilities will find that HR solutions software offers a variety of key features designed to streamline operations and improve overall efficiency. A central component is the Human Resource Information System (HRIS), which centralizes employee data management and payroll processing. Furthermore, ADP Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) improve recruitment by facilitating job postings and CV screening. Performance Management Software digitizes performance reviews, incorporating tools for goal-setting and feedback to support employee development. Learning Management Systems (LMS) help track training progress and guarantee compliance with mandatory requirements. Finally, built-in analytics tools provide insights into workforce performance and recruitment metrics, enabling data-driven decision-making that ultimately increases organizational effectiveness. Benefits of HR Solutions Software for HR Departments HR solutions software offers significant advantages for HR departments by streamlining administrative processes, enhancing recruitment efficiency, and improving data management. With automated payroll and attendance tracking, you can reduce the time spent on routine tasks, allowing you to concentrate on strategic initiatives. Furthermore, features like applicant tracking systems not only speed up hiring but likewise provide valuable insights for better decision-making and workforce planning. Streamlined Administrative Processes Although administrative tasks can often consume a significant portion of an HR department’s time, implementing HR solutions software can dramatically streamline these processes. This software automates routine functions like attendance tracking and payroll processing, freeing up valuable time for your team. By centralizing employee data management, it improves accuracy and reduces human errors, ensuring compliance with labor laws. In addition, streamlined onboarding processes help new hires acclimate quickly, boosting their productivity from the start. Performance management tools within the software allow for real-time feedback and goal tracking, promoting employee engagement and accountability. Moreover, HR solutions software provides valuable analytics, enabling you to make informed, data-driven decisions that align with your organization’s goals and improve overall efficiency. Enhanced Recruitment Efficiency In regards to improving recruitment efficiency, utilizing HR solutions software can transform the hiring process considerably. By implementing these tools, you can streamline various aspects of recruitment, making it faster and more effective. Here are four key benefits: Automation: Automate job postings, resume screening, and interview scheduling, potentially reducing time-to-hire by up to 50%. Data Analytics: Utilize data to optimize job ad placements, ensuring you attract the most suitable candidates. Onboarding: Streamline onboarding by allowing new hires to complete paperwork electronically, easing administrative burdens. Communication Tools: Enhance candidate engagement through integrated communication features, improving the overall experience and increasing acceptance rates. Improved Data Management Effective recruitment is only one aspect of what HR solutions software can offer; improved data management is another significant benefit that can transform HR departments. By centralizing employee data, you can easily access, update, and maintain accurate records in one secure location, reducing discrepancies. Automated data collection minimizes manual entry errors, letting you focus on strategic initiatives rather than administrative tasks. Advanced analytics tools provide insights into workforce trends, improving decision-making. Real-time updates guarantee compliance-related documentation is current, reducing the risk of penalties. Integration with other business systems streamlines data sharing and communication, promoting collaboration. Feature Benefit Example Centralized Data Management Reduces discrepancies Single source of truth Automated Data Collection Minimizes manual errors Time-saving processes Advanced Analytics Informs strategic decisions Workforce trend analysis Real-Time Updates Guarantees compliance Current employee documentation System Integration Improves collaboration Seamless data sharing Benefits of HR Solutions Software for Employees HR solutions software offers a range of benefits that greatly improve the employee experience within an organization. With these tools, you can manage your own personal information effortlessly and enrich your daily work life. Here are some key advantages: Self-Service Portals: Access your details, request time off, and view pay stubs independently. Improved Onboarding: New hires can integrate into the company more smoothly, boosting comfort and productivity from day one. Employee Engagement Tools: Participate in surveys and recognition programs that encourage a positive workplace culture. Performance Management Features: Set personal goals, receive real-time feedback, and track your progress, aligning your contributions with the organization’s objectives. These features collectively enrich your overall work experience. Benefits of HR Solutions Software for Businesses Though many businesses face challenges in managing human resources effectively, leveraging HR solutions software can greatly streamline operations and improve productivity. By automating routine administrative tasks, you can free up your HR team to focus on strategic initiatives, improving overall efficiency. Centralizing employee data not only enhances compliance with labor laws but also reduces the risk of penalties, promoting accountability. Furthermore, the software simplifies recruitment and onboarding, allowing you to fill roles more quickly and improve the candidate experience. Employee self-service portals boost satisfaction by giving staff easy access to personal information and performance metrics. Finally, the analytics and reporting features enable data-driven decision-making, which can lead to better employee engagement and productivity. Types of HR Solutions Software When considering HR solutions software, you’ll find two main categories: core HR systems and additional HR solutions. Core HR systems, like HRIS and HRMS, focus on centralizing employee data, payroll, and performance management, whereas additional solutions, such as Applicant Tracking Systems and Learning Management Systems, address specific needs like recruitment and training. Comprehending these types can help you choose the right software to streamline your HR processes effectively. Core HR Systems Core HR systems serve as the backbone of effective human resource management, integrating various functionalities to streamline processes and improve organizational efficiency. These systems encompass crucial tools that help you manage your workforce effectively. Here are some key types of core HR systems: Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS): Centralize employee data management, payroll processing, and benefits administration. Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS): Offer extensive functionalities, including recruitment, performance evaluation, and HR analytics. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS): Improve recruitment efficiency by streamlining job postings, interview scheduling, and CV screening. Payroll Software: Automates tracking of employee work hours and pay rates, ensuring compliance and accuracy. Additional HR Solutions In today’s dynamic workplace, several additional HR solutions software types can greatly improve your organization’s human resource management capabilities. Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) manage employee data, whereas Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) streamline hiring by tracking applicants. Payroll Software simplifies payroll processes, ensuring accuracy and compliance. Learning Management Systems (LMS) centralize training, augmenting employee skills and meeting compliance needs. Benefits Administration Software simplifies managing employee benefits, making enrollment and tracking easier. Employee Engagement Software promotes communication through surveys and recognition tools, encouraging a positive culture. Finally, Time and Attendance Software automates employee hours and time-off requests, reducing administrative burdens and minimizing payroll errors. How to Choose HR Solutions Software How do you determine the right HR solutions software for your organization? Start by aligning your HR vision with your overall business strategy, ensuring the software addresses your specific pain points. Gather input from key stakeholders to define necessary features and functionalities. Next, research various HR software options, focusing on features relevant to your needs, like recruitment, payroll, and performance management. Here’s a simple checklist to follow: Align HR vision with business strategy. Gather input from key stakeholders on features. Research available HR software options. Evaluate shortlisted software through demos and trials. Finally, establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the software’s effectiveness post-implementation. This process will help you choose the best HR solutions for your business. Implementing HR Solutions Software in Your Business When you implement HR solutions software in your business, you can greatly streamline administrative tasks, allowing your HR team to concentrate on more strategic initiatives. Automating processes like payroll, recruitment, and onboarding boosts efficiency, freeing up time for higher-value activities. By centralizing employee data management, you improve accessibility and facilitate real-time updates, which increases collaboration across departments. Furthermore, the software helps guarantee compliance with labor laws by tracking necessary documentation and deadlines, minimizing the risk of penalties. With performance management tools, you can support goal setting and feedback, driving both productivity and engagement. Many solutions are cloud-based, offering mobility and accessibility as well as reducing the need for hardware investments, leading to significant cost savings for your business. Exploring Free Trials of HR Solutions Software Are you considering HR solutions software but unsure if it’s the right fit for your organization? Free trials are a valuable way to explore these tools without commitment. During the trial, you can: Assess the software’s functionalities, like payroll processing and onboarding. Evaluate time and cost savings by streamlining HR tasks. Test integration capabilities with your existing systems to guarantee compatibility. Gather feedback from employees on usability and effectiveness. Frequently Asked Questions What Are the Benefits of HR Software? HR software offers numerous benefits that streamline your HR processes. It automates tasks like payroll and attendance, freeing up time for strategic initiatives. With features like Applicant Tracking Systems, it improves recruitment efficiency, enhancing candidate experiences. Centralizing employee data helps guarantee compliance with labor laws and reduces manual errors. Self-service portals allow employees easy access to their information, boosting engagement. Moreover, analytics provided by HR software support data-driven decision-making, optimizing workforce management. What Are HR Solutions? HR solutions are digital tools designed to optimize human resources processes. They automate tasks like recruitment, onboarding, payroll, and performance management, making your HR operations more efficient. By centralizing employee data, these solutions improve compliance with labor laws and minimize errors. Moreover, they enable better communication across departments and provide analytics for informed decision-making. What Are the Three Main Types of HR Software Solutions? The three main types of HR software solutions are Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). HRIS focuses on employee data management and payroll, whereas HRMS integrates various HR functions like recruitment and performance management. ATS streamlines the hiring process by automating job postings and candidate screening. Each system serves distinct HR needs, allowing you to choose the best option based on your organization’s goals. What Is HR Software? HR software includes various applications designed to streamline human resource functions. It automates tasks like payroll processing, attendance tracking, and compliance management, allowing you to save time and reduce errors. Common types of HR software are Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS), Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), and performance management tools. Conclusion In conclusion, HR Solutions Software is crucial for modern businesses looking to streamline their human resource processes. By improving recruitment, onboarding, and payroll management, it helps HR departments operate more efficiently during the enhancement of employee experiences. The benefits extend beyond HR teams, positively impacting overall business performance through better data management and compliance. By carefully selecting and implementing the right software, you can greatly improve productivity and focus on strategic initiatives that promote organizational growth. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is HR Solutions Software and How Can It Benefit Your Business?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

If you’ve ever been hit with a sketchy text warning you of an overdue toll road payment or mysterious U.S. Postal Service fees, you’ve likely been targeted by one of the largest cyber scams sweeping the globe. Now, Google is suing an international cybercrime group it believes is responsible for the ubiquitous text-based phishing scheme, which may have raked in as much as $1 billion over the last three years. In the lawsuit filed Wednesday, Google alleges that 25 people are part of a sprawling scam operation that is known as “Lighthouse” and was designed to swipe the logins and passwords of victims caught in its web. The Lighthouse scam hinges on tricking people with bogus texts, prompting them to click a link and share their credentials on fake websites. The sites display legitimate-looking logos of brands such as Google, Gmail, or YouTube in hopes of convincing potential victims that their fake web pages are real, hence the company’s involvement. Google says that it found 107 website templates misusing Google branding on their sign-in screens in order to fool people into thinking those sites are safe and actually connected to Google’s products. According to the lawsuit, almost 200 fake web templates connected to the Lighthouse network imitate U.S. websites like those belonging to New York City’s government and the USPS. Beyond Google’s own logos, the fake sites display official-looking logos of payment companies and social media platforms. Google and other security researchers believe that the text-phishing scam network is based in China, well beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement. “Bad actors built ‘Lighthouse’ as a phishing-as-a-service kit to generate and deploy massive ‘smishing’ (SMS phishing) attacks,” Google general counsel Halimah DeLaine Prado wrote on the company’s blog. “These attacks exploit established brands like E-ZPass to steal people’s financial information.” Google notes that this family of cybercrime is causing “immense financial harm” around the globe, and that the company intends to disrupt the scheme’s core infrastructure with the lawsuit. In it, Google alleges that the unnamed individuals connected to the Lighthouse scam have run afoul of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO); the Lanham Act, which protects trademarks; and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Because the operation is likely based in China, Google’s suit likely won’t be dragging anyone to court overnight, but the suit could still disrupt the group’s web hosting and other aspects of its infrastructure. Because Google doesn’t know the names of the 25 individuals connected to the scam, the suit includes their Telegram handles when they are known. To fight cyber scams on U.S. soil, Google also announced Wednesday that it will back a handful of bipartisan bills designed to disrupt fraud, counter scams, and block robocalls that originate overseas. “Legal action can address a single operation; robust public policy can address the broader threat of scams,” DeLaine Prado said. “We encourage Congress to enact these crucial bills and help bring a decisive end to the financial harm and damage wrought by foreign cybercriminals.” View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. When I put the new Viwoods AiPaper Reader through its paces for my review, published yesterday, I made the mistake of trusting the company's own statements when I described its capabilities. According to Viwood's website, the phone-shaped device has mobile data functionality (specifically, 4G/Wi-Fi 2.4G), which I tested using a data-only SIM card. Nowhere does Viwoods advertise that its new e-reader call make and take phone calls. But it can. I'd love to say I figured this out on my own, but I actually first saw a post about it on Reddit shortly before I went to bed last night. By the time I woke up, I had an email in my inbox from a Viwoods representative asking me to amend the portion of my review where I'd noted the device can't take calls, saying that it actually can, with the proper SIM card. The rep explained that while the feature wasn't advertised, the company was treating it as a "quiet extra" customers could discover on their own. So this morning, I pulled out the prepaid T-Mobile SIM card I keep around for testing various devices, popped it into the Viwoods AiPaper Reader, and was instantly able to use it to call my wife. As far as I can tell, it worked great—I wasn't out and about, so I have no idea how reliably it holds a signal—but with one huge caveat. Viwoods AiPaper Reader $279.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $279.99 at Amazon It's still only technically a phoneCalling capability aside, I would be hesitant to call the AiPaper Reader a phone for one pretty important reason: It lacks an external speaker, which means if you want to be able to hear the person on the other end of the line, you're going to need to connect your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds (there's no headphone jack). Obviously being unable to use the device to take a call without fumbling around for your earbuds first severely limits its usefulness as a phone, to the extent that I imagine it would be difficult for anyone to justify using the Viwoods AiPaper Reader as an e-ink replacement for their Pixel or iPhone. But at the same time, it can make calls. So that's...neat? It lacks other common phone featuresAdding weight to the "it's an e-reader that incidentally happens to be able to make calls" side of the scale is the fact that the AiPaper Reader also lacks a lot of other features that are basically de rigueur for modern smartphones, including selfie and rear cameras and GPS functionality—nope, this thing won't work with Google Maps. Why isn't Viwoods advertising this feature?This is the most interesting question to me. The AiPaper Reader seems to be trying to compete directly with the new Boox Palma 2 Pro, which has the same dimensions and capabilities, including mobile data. So why not point out to potential customers that they can also use the AiPaper Reader as a phone? My guess is, the company cannot to do so legally because it is not certified as a phone by the Federal Communications Commission. But that's just supposition on my part; I've reached out to Viwoods for more information and will update this article when I hear back. View the full article

Ad intelligence software promises to show you everything your competitors are doing: their keywords, budgets, creatives, and landing pages. But many surface insights you could get for free. Meta’s Ad Library shows what advertisers are currently running. Google’s Transparency Center does the same for search and YouTube. TikTok’s Creative Center reveals top performers by industry. So, when does paid software earn its cost? You’re tracking multiple competitors across platforms and losing hours to manual checks You need historical data on which ads they tested and killed You rely on spend benchmarks and real-time alerts to catch shifts before your clients do That’s the gap paid tools fill. If they’re good. Many aren’t. They bury useful insights under dashboards that create more work than they save. The data looks complete until you actually try to use it. This guide covers six platforms that deliver real intelligence (if you know what you’re looking at). We’re not promising magic improvements. We’re showing what each tool reveals, who it’s built for, and what you give up at each price point. What Is the Best Ad Intelligence Software? Ad Intelligence Tools Best For Price Similarweb Best for stalking competitors’ ads at scale — plus, their SEO, traffic, and market moves $649+/month. (Only higher-tier plans come with ad intelligence.) Semrush Advertising Toolkit Best for multi-platform ad intelligence, from Meta and TikTok to Google Shopping $99-$220/month SpyFu Best for affordable Google Ads intelligence with deep historical data $39-$249/month PowerAdSpy Best for analyzing ad engagement across social media platforms $69-$399/month Adbeat Best for tracking competitor display ads and landing pages $249+/month Pathmatics Best for enterprise-level ad spend intelligence across mobile, social, and video Pricing is not publicly available 1. Similarweb Best for stalking competitors’ ads at scale — plus, their SEO, traffic, and market moves Similarweb reveals your competitors’ complete paid strategies, from their winning ad creatives to their most successful publishers. It also includes SEO and competitive intelligence tools in every subscription, so you get the full picture of how your rivals attract and convert traffic across every channel. This cross-channel context is especially helpful if you already use native ad libraries but want scalable intel that ties everything together. Learn Your Competitors’ Highest-Performing Publishers and Ad Networks If your competitors are running ads, Similarweb shows you where (and how to beat them). You’ll see: Which ad networks and placements work best for your top competitors Where their ad budgets go, broken down by channel Industry-wide trends that reveal missed opportunities Say Similarweb shows that multiple competitors spend over 50% of their display budgets on a single publisher. That’s a data-backed signal you can’t ignore. Use that data to target the same publisher to test similar placements. Or find underused publishers in the same category for more affordable traffic. Get Inspired by Proven Ad Creatives Similarweb’s database makes it easy to browse display ads by publisher, network, and format. See the messaging and offers competitors use to get conversions Learn how many days each ad was active, so you know which ones excelled (and which ones failed) Find out which formats your competitors are using, including product, display, and video ads Of course, copying your competitors’ ads word-for-word isn’t the goal. The real value is in spotting patterns: the hooks they repeat, the formats they invest in, and the offers they continually test. These insights let you design campaigns that build on what already works in your market. When you’re juggling multiple accounts, this saves hours of creative testing, and points you directly toward proven formats. Reverse-Engineer Competitors’ Search and Shopping Campaigns Similarweb shows you which keywords your competitors bid on and how much they’re spending. This helps you identify high-value keywords that drive conversions and avoid wasting budget on terms that don’t perform. From there, you can build stronger landing pages that target your competitors’ most successful keywords and match intent. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Tracks 500M+ ads across publishers, networks, and formats for deep competitive insights Ad intelligence tools only available with the most expensive plan Uncovers competitors’ top-performing publishers and ad placements Can feel overwhelming for smaller teams due to the platform’s depth Includes SEO, traffic, and market data for a full competitive picture If you only want ad intelligence, you’ll be paying for much more than you need Pricing Similarweb offers multiple plans, but only the most expensive one includes dedicated tools for ad intelligence. This plan costs $649/month ($540 billed annually). Similarweb also offers business and enterprise plans, but pricing and tools are not publicly available online. Further reading: How to Use Similarweb for SEO and Content Marketing 2. Semrush Advertising Toolkit Best for multi-platform ad intelligence, from Meta and TikTok to Google Shopping When you’re managing multiple clients or campaigns, switching between Meta, TikTok, and Google dashboards gets messy fast. Semrush’s Advertising Toolkit consolidates that chaos into one workspace — letting you analyze competitor campaigns and build your own in the same place. You’ll get deep intel on keywords, budgets, ad copy, and creative trends. Plus, actionable advice on how to turn that data into high-performing campaigns. Track Competitor Keywords and Budgets The Advertising Research tool reveals everything, and we mean everything, about your competitors’ Google Ads strategies. Enter any domain and you’ll see: Estimated ad traffic Cost per click (CPC) Highest- and lowest-performing keywords Organic search position Keyword difficulty URL No more wasting ad budget on terms that don’t perform. You’ll know exactly which ones to target in your next campaign. The tool also tracks keyword trends over time. See which keywords competitors continuously invest in month after month. When a keyword consistently appears in their paid strategy with stable or growing volume, that’s a clear sign it’s profitable. With this data, you might test variations of the keyword in multiple ads to capitalize on its success. Or use them to inform your broader content strategy beyond paid campaigns. Spy on Google Shopping Ads Have an ecommerce brand? The PLA Research tool shows you which products your competitors promote most heavily in Google Shopping. You’ll see position, volume, price, product titles, URLs, and trend data for each listing. When a product shows up month after month, it’s likely a top seller. If you don’t carry that product yet, you might consider adding it to your catalog. Already sell it? Increase your Shopping ads to compete directly. You can also view all of your competitors’ Google Shopping ads in one place. Analyze their copy, images, and offers. Then, apply these insights to your own listings: Adjust your product titles to match high-performing formats Test pricing strategies that undercut or match theirs Prioritize ads for products where you have a competitive advantage. Think better reviews, faster shipping, or exclusive features they don’t offer. Here’s another cool feature: Instead of bouncing between tools, Semrush’s AI-powered Ad Launch Assistant lets you create and optimize Google and Meta ads directly inside the platform. The tool generates copy and visuals tailored to your brand, from attention-grabbing headlines to conversion-focused descriptions. Instead of writing everything from scratch, all you have to do is review each element: Headlines Descriptions Site links Callouts Images Videos Simply refine the voice and messaging as needed. You’ll be able to test multiple variations in minutes instead of hours. Unlock Deeper Insights with AdClarity AdClarity is Semrush’s advanced cross-channel ad intelligence tool. Need complete visibility into competitor display, social, and video campaigns? This is where you’ll find it. You’ll get a lot of data with this tool. Including how much rivals spend, which publishers drive the most impact, and the exact creatives they’re using across platforms: Facebook Instagram X Google Display Pinterest YouTube TikTok LinkedIn Say a competitor suddenly doubles their TikTok spend. You’ll spot the shift immediately and can adjust your strategy in real time. AdClarity also automatically identifies your competitors’ top publishers and campaigns. So there’s no guessing or testing which ones work well for your target audience. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Combines robust multi-site ad intelligence with Meta and Google campaign execution in one platform The base plan includes only Google and Meta ad intelligence Google Shopping insights are especially strong for ecommerce brands AdClarity is only included the higher-tier plan AdClarity offers advanced ad intelligence across display, social, and video Doesn’t include SEO tools; you’ll need a separate toolkit for that Pricing The Semrush Advertising Toolkit is $99 per month. It includes Advertising Research, PLA Research, Ads Launch Assistant, and more. The higher-tier plan ($220/month) includes AdClarity, along with all of the above. 3. SpyFu Best for affordable Google Ads intelligence with deep historical data SpyFu is built for one thing: uncovering Google Ads strategies. If your strategy leans heavily on Google, it’s one of the most detailed and budget-friendly advertising intelligence software options available. Download Competitor Keywords Without Limits SpyFu shows you everything your competitors do on Google Ads — and lets you export it all with no limits. Many ad intelligence platforms cap your keyword downloads, so this is a plus. Type in any competitor’s domain and you’ll see: Every keyword they’ve ever bought on Google Ads Estimated monthly clicks and CPC Total spend on paid search For example, say you’re in SaaS project management and Asana is your top competitor. Search their domain, and SpyFu shows you their current and historical ad keywords. We’re talking thousands of terms, not just the top 50 or 100. Download the complete dataset and… Feed it into your analytics tools or Google Sheets Share it with your team for campaign planning Build custom reports for leadership Cross-reference it with your CRM to see which keywords actually convert Spot Overlaps and Waste in PPC Strategies SpyFu’s Kombat tool compares your PPC strategy against up to two competitors at once. But instead of having to sift through 10,000 keywords, the ad intelligence tool automatically groups them into helpful buckets: Core Keywords: Terms all competitors are bidding on Consider Buying: Valuable keywords they use, but you don’t Potential Ad Waste: Terms that neither competitor uses but you do So, you know exactly which terms to focus on (and which to remove from your campaigns). This is especially helpful if you’re newer to paid campaigns. Or have limited time (or tolerance) for turning data into actionable insights. SpyFu also tags certain terms as “Great Buys” and estimates how many impressions you’ll get for each one. Plus, it shows which competitors already bid on them, so you can piggyback on proven opportunities. For example, the report below reveals that Asana’s competitor, Monday.com, uses “top task management apps” and “work time tracker app” in its ad strategy. Asana could (and probably should) target both terms since SpyFu’s data shows they’re worth the investment. Learn From Ads That Worked (or Failed) SpyFu’s Ad History tool shows every ad variation competitors have tested for a given keyword. If an ad copy ran for 14 consecutive months, you know it was effective. If it vanished after a week? Probably a dud. This kind of insight lets you write ads with fewer flops and faster wins. This is especially valuable if you handle multiple accounts. You can skip obvious mistakes and start from proven winners. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Unlimited keyword exports with no download caps Focused exclusively on Google Ads; no social or display coverage 10+ years of historical ad data for deep competitive analysis Historical data (10+ years) requires paying for higher-tier plans Kombat tool automatically identifies keyword overlaps and wasted spend The base plan doesn’t come with unlimited downloads Pricing SpyFu offers three main plans, all of which come with ad intelligence and SEO reports. The most affordable plan is $39 per month. However, you’ll need to upgrade to a higher tier to get 10+ years of historical insights ($59-$249/month). Further reading: SpyFu Guide: How to Get the Most Out of This SEO Tool 4. PowerAdSpy Best for analyzing ad engagement across social media platforms PowerAdSpy specializes in social advertising intelligence with one key differentiator: engagement data that shows what’s actually resonating. You’ll see which competitor social ads are getting likes, shares, and comments across 11 platforms: Facebook Instagram YouTube Google Google Display Network Native Quora Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn TikTok If you need to understand which creatives are worth replicating at scale, PowerAdSpy is a strong option. Search Ads by Keyword, Competitor, or Domain Want to know which competitor ads crush it on Instagram Reels? Or which offers rivals push hardest on YouTube or TikTok? Plug in a keyword, competitor’s name, or domain, and you’ll instantly see all of their active and historical campaigns. That single search can replace hours of platform hopping between ad libraries. Reveal What’s Actually Driving Engagement Every ad includes engagement data specific to the platform you’re analyzing. Assessing competitors’ or clients’ Facebook ads? Sort by likes, comments, impressions, and popularity. You can also filter by ad type and call to action, depending on the platform. This is especially useful for spotting: Whether video or static images dominate your niche Which CTAs (“Learn More” vs. “Sign Up”) consistently get clicks What ad hooks (“Free trial” vs. “Save 50%”) keep resurfacing across competitors See How Competitors Win Attention on Reddit and Quora PowerAdSpy tracks sponsored posts on Reddit and Quora. These platforms matter because buying decisions often start there. Conversations on these sites can also influence how LLMs (such as ChatGPT and Perplexity) surface your brand in answers. By analyzing these ads, you’ll see: Which threads your competitors target (like “best project management software” on r/productivity) How they position offers in Q&A format Which ads earn upvotes, shares, and comments See what competitors are saying and which conversations are shaping buyer intent. Spot content angles that consistently earn engagement. Identify threads or audiences they’re overlooking. Another helpful feature? Search by topic, like “games,” to find the competitors dominating that ad niche. Include a custom “like” range so you narrow results to the level of popularity you prefer. Then, zero in on the highest-performing ads and gather details such as ad copy and social engagement to improve your campaigns. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Large, frequently updated database of social ads across 10+ major platforms Mainly focused on social media; lacks advanced search or display ad data Engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments) reveal which creatives actually resonate Advanced filtering options are locked behind higher plans Powerful filters for ad type, placement, geography, and CTA performance Only the highest-tier plan includes insights from all 11 platforms Pricing PowerAdSpy has six different plans. The one you choose depends on the social platforms you want to analyze, and the features you need. Only need Facebook, Instagram, Google, and YouTube? (And don’t mind missing out on features like ad budget, ad type filter, and advanced analytics?) The most affordable plan ($69/month) might work for you. Need all the features and platforms? You’ll pay $399 per month. 5. Adbeat Best for tracking competitor display ads and landing pages Adbeat specializes in display, native, and programmatic advertising. But it goes beyond ad creatives. You’ll also see landing page insights, so you get intel on the complete customer journey. See Which Landing Pages Are Actually Converting Adbeat shows you which landing pages drive the most ad traffic. And how long each page has been live. For example, Squarespace’s longest-running landing page has been active for 794 days. That’s over two years. When a page stays live that long, you know it’s consistently converting. This intel helps you see which page layouts, offers, and messaging are worth replicating. If you work for an agency and have multiple clients, this is particularly valuable. It’s a fast way to benchmark what “good” looks like in each vertical. Reveal Media Buying Strategies and Publisher Insights The Advertiser Dashboard breaks down where competitors allocate their budgets across channels, networks, and publishers. You’ll also see share-of-voice data to understand their market presence. For example, Adbeat found that Squarespace ran 524 ads in one month. And 78% of their spend went to programmatic ads. Details like this highlight which channels matter most in your niche. And where you can reallocate budget to get better performance for your own campaigns. Benchmark Campaign Performance and Spot Trends Adbeat’s ad intelligence software lets you monitor how your competitors’ budgets shift over time. But what’s especially helpful is that they break it down by ad type: standard, native, and video. For example, Squarespace’s longest-running video ad has been live for 413 days. If they’ve kept it running that long, it’s a moneymaker. In other words, it’s worth considering if you’re investing enough in video ads. And studying individual high performers for hooks, visuals, and offers. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Lets you analyze ads and landing pages together for complete funnel insights Limited coverage of search and social campaigns Reveals media spend, publisher performance, and traffic sources Pricing is higher than ad-creative-only tools Great for agencies, affiliate marketers, and display-heavy advertisers Enterprise pricing is not publicly available Pricing Adbeat’s pricing starts at $249 per month for display, programmatic, and native ad intelligence. For advanced filters, alerts, and historical data, you’ll need the higher plan ($399 per month). There’s also an enterprise plan, but pricing isn’t listed publicly. 6. Pathmatics by Sensor Tower Best for enterprise-level ad spend intelligence across mobile, social, and video Pathmatics is built for large teams and big brands. Household names like P&G and Unilever use this platform, so expect enterprise-level pricing and complexity. But if you’re managing high-volume spend or reporting to leadership, it offers the transparency and benchmarking you can’t get from native tools. Uncover Competitors’ Ad Spend Across Every Channel Pathmatics shows you where every ad dollar goes in a pretty granular way. It breaks down spend by platform, campaign, or creative — and tracks impressions, reach, and frequency over time. Say you notice a competitor’s Instagram spend suddenly increased by a significant amount in a single week during Q4. That signals a major campaign launch — possibly holiday shopping or Black Friday prep. With this data, you can adjust your strategy immediately. And compete head-to-head with your main competitors. Pathmatics also lets you benchmark your ad spend against multiple competitors at once. If you’re investing $500K on display while your top three competitors each spend $2M+, you’ll see that gap. Use this data to justify budget increases to leadership. Or to identify where smaller reallocations could close the gap faster. Benchmark Market Share and Share of Voice Pathmatics tracks your share of voice against competitors in your industry and region. If three brands dominate 80% of impressions in your category, you’ll see who owns what percentage. This data helps you understand your position in the market. Are you a distant fourth? Or neck-and-neck with the leader? You can also identify which competitors dominate specific channels and spot opportunities where they’re underinvesting. If the market leader owns Facebook but ignores TikTok, that’s your opening. Evaluate Creatives That Resonate Every ad includes details like format, placement, messaging, CTAs, and audience profiles. See which creatives competitors keep running and which ones they kill after a few days. Track the exact messaging and offers that stick around for months or years. Use these insights to refine your own creative strategy. Double down on formats that consistently deliver, and try localized messaging in new markets where your competitors are seeing success. Pros and Cons Pros Cons Provides cross-channel visibility across social, display, mobile, video, and OTT Pricing is custom and can be expensive for smaller teams and startups Combines creative data with detailed spend, reach, and audience insights Steeper learning curve due to platform depth and data complexity Ideal for enterprise-level teams, app publishers, and multi-channel marketers Some users report data accuracy issues Pricing Pathmatics’ pricing is custom. Request a quote if you’re interested. Turn Competitive Intel into Campaign Wins The right ad intelligence software isn’t the one with the most features. It’s the one you can trust. This means reliable data, less manual work, and the ability to scale campaigns across platforms with ease. On a budget and focused mainly on Google Ads? Start with SpyFu. Need deep, multi-site advertising intelligence across search and social with campaign execution built in? Go for Semrush’s Advertising Toolkit. Once you’ve picked your platform and gathered competitive intel, the next step is making sure your paid and organic strategies work together. Learn how to align SEO and PPC to maximize visibility, reduce wasted spend, and improve your ROI. The post 6 Best Ad Intelligence Software to Outsmart the Competition appeared first on Backlinko. View the full article