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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Even though the newer Hero13 Black is out, the Hero12 Black still nails the fundamentals that made GoPro the go-to name for action cameras. And right now it’s available at a solid discount—$299.95 at Walmart, down from $349.99, and cheaper than Amazon’s current $369 listing. GoPro Hero12 $299.95 at Walmart $349.99 Save $50.04 Get Deal Get Deal $299.95 at Walmart $349.99 Save $50.04 It’s waterproof, tough enough to survive crashes and splashes, and compact enough to mount just about anywhere. PCMag gave it an “outstanding” rating upon its launch, praising its stability, image quality, and ease of use, while Lifehacker’s own Stephen Johnson called it one of his favorite products ever. Performance-wise, the Hero12 Black can shoot up to 5.3K at 60 frames per second, offering 91% more resolution than 4K, and the stabilization makes handheld shots look like they came from a gimbal. Plus, you get both front and rear displays, which make framing easy, whether you’re filming yourself or capturing what’s in front of you. The Hero12 also shoots in an 8:7 aspect ratio, making it easy to crop videos for both widescreen and vertical social content. That versatility is a big deal for creators who want to repurpose the same clip for YouTube and Instagram without reshooting. Footage is stored via a microSDXC card, and you get Bluetooth, wifi, and USB-C connectivity for quick transfers. One of the biggest changes in this generation is what GoPro removed. There’s no built-in GPS, which means you won’t get automatic speed or route overlays, but you also won’t burn through battery as quickly. That said, the battery still won’t last a full day if you’re recording continuously, so a spare is worth having on hand. On the bright side, it’s waterproof down to 33 feet (10 meters) without a case, which makes it great for beach trips, pool footage, or even rainy hikes. Our Best Editor-Vetted Tech Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Shark AV2501AE AI XL Hepa- Safe Self-Emptying Base Robot Vacuum — $459.95 (List Price $649.99) Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam, White with Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), White — $59.99 (List Price $99.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $29.99 (List Price $69.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $27.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 with Ring Chime Pro — $149.99 (List Price $259.99) Introducing Amazon Fire TV 55" Omni Mini-LED Series, QLED 4K UHD smart TV, Dolby Vision IQ, 144hz gaming mode, Ambient Experience, hands-free with Alexa, 2024 release — $699.99 (List Price $819.99) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p 2-Camera Kit With Sync Module Core — $51.99 (List Price $129.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

For years, I told bloggers the same thing: make your content easy enough for toddlers and drunk adults to understand. That was my rule of thumb. If a five-year-old can follow what you’ve written and someone paying half-attention can still find what they need on your site, you’re doing something right. But the game has changed. It’s no longer just about toddlers and drunk adults. You’re now writing for large language models (LLMs) quietly scanning, interpreting, and summarizing your work inside AI search results. I used to believe that great writing and solid SEO were all it took to succeed. What I see now: Clarity beats everything. The blogs winning today aren’t simply well-written or packed with keywords. They’re clean, consistent, and instantly understandable to readers and machines alike. Blogging isn’t dying. It’s moving from being a simple publishing tool to a real brand platform that supports off-site efforts more than ever before. You can’t just drop a recipe or travel guide online and expect it to rank using the SEO tactics of the past. Bloggers must now think of their site as an ecosystem where everything connects – posts, internal links, author bios, and signals of external authority all reinforce each other. When I audit sites, the difference between those that thrive and those that struggle almost always comes down to focus. The successful ones treat their blogs like living systems that grow smarter, clearer, and more intentional with time. But if content creators want to survive what’s coming, they need to build their sites for toddlers, drunk adults, and LLMs. In this article, bloggers will learn how to do the following: Understand the current blogging climate and why clarity now matters more than ever. Adapt their content for AI Overviews, LLMs, and emerging retrieval systems. Use recency bias and “last updated” signals to strengthen visibility. Build a recognizable brand that LLMs can cite and retrieve with confidence. See why professional SEO audits are one of the smartest investments bloggers can make. Prepare for the next five years of AI-driven search with practical, proven strategies. The 2026 blogging climate: Clarity amid chaos Let’s be honest: the blogging world feels a little shaky right now. One day, traffic is steady, and the next day, it’s down 40% after an update no one saw coming. Bloggers are watching AI Overviews and “AI Mode” swallow up clicks that used to come straight to their sites. Pinterest doesn’t drive what it once did, and social media traffic in general is unpredictable. It’s not your imagination. The rules of discovery have changed. We’ve entered a stage where Google volatility is the norm, not the exception. Core updates hit harder, AI summaries are doing the talking, and creators are realizing that search is no longer just about keywords and backlinks. It’s about context, clarity, and credibility. But here’s the good news: the traffic that matters is still out there. It just presents differently. The strongest blogs I work with are seeing direct traffic and returning visitors climb. People remember them, type their names into search, open their newsletters, and click through from saved bookmarks. That’s not an accident – that’s the result of clarity and consistency. If your site clearly explains who you are, what you offer, and how your content fits together, you’re building what I call resilient visibility. It’s the kind of presence that lasts through algorithm swings, because your audience and Google both understand your purpose. Think of it this way: the era of chasing random keyword wins is over. The bloggers who’ll still be standing in five years are the ones who organize their sites like smart libraries: easy to navigate, full of expertise, and built for readers who come back again and again. AI systems reward that same clarity. They want content that’s connected, consistent, and confident about its subject matter. That’s how you show up in AI Overviews, People Also Ask carousels, or Gemini-generated results. In short, confusion costs you clicks, but clarity earns you staying power. Takeaway The blogging climate might feel chaotic, but the strategy hasn’t changed as much as people think. Focus on clarity, structure, and user trust. Build a brand that people – and AI – can easily recognize and rely on. Dig deeper: Chunk, cite, clarify, build: A content framework for AI search The AI acceleration: From search to retrieval A few years ago, SEO was all about chasing rankings. You picked your keywords, wrote your post, built some links, and hoped to land on page one. Simple enough. But that world doesn’t exist anymore. Today, we’re in what can best be called the retrieval era. AI systems like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity don’t list links. They retrieve answers from the brands, authors, and sites they trust most. Duane Forrester said it best – search is shifting from “ranking” to “retrieval.” Instead of asking, “Where do I rank?” creators should be asking, “Am I retrievable?” That mindset shift changes everything about how we create content. Mike King expanded on this idea, introducing the concept of relevance engineering. Search engines and LLMs now use context to understand relevance, not just keywords. They look at: How consistently you cover topics. How well your pages connect. Whether you’re seen as an authority in your niche. This is where structure and clarity start paying off. AI systems want to understand who you are and where you stand. They learn that from your internal links, schema, author bios, and consistent topical focus. When everything aligns, you’re no longer just ranking in search – you’re becoming a known entity that AI can pull from. I’ve seen this firsthand during site audits. Blogs with strong internal structures and clear topical authority are far more likely to be cited as sources in AI Overviews and LLM results. You’re removing confusion and teaching both users and models to associate your brand with specific areas of expertise. Takeaway Stop worrying about ranking higher. Start making yourself easier to retrieve. Build a site that clearly tells Google and AI who you are, what you offer, and why your content deserves to be cited. Understanding recency bias: Why freshness is your friend Here’s something I see a lot in my audits: two posts covering the same topic, both written by experienced bloggers, both technically sound. Yet one consistently outperforms the other. The difference? One shows a clear “Last updated” date, and the other doesn’t. That tiny detail matters more than most people realize. Research from Metehan Yesilyurt confirms what many SEOs have suspected for a while: LLMs and AI-driven search results favor recency, and it’s already being exploited in the name of research. It’s built into their design. When AI models have multiple possible answers to choose from, they often prefer newer or recently refreshed content. This is recency bias, and it’s reshaping both AI search and Google’s click-through behavior. We see the same pattern inside the traditional SERPs. Posts that display visible “Last updated” dates tend to earn higher click-through rates. People – and algorithms – trust fresh information. That’s why one of the first things I check in an audit is how Google is interpreting the date structure on a blog. Is it recognizing the correct updated date, or is it stuck on the original publish date? Sometimes the fix is simple: remove the old “published on” markup and make sure the updated timestamp is clearly visible and crawlable. Other times, the page’s HTML or schema sends conflicting signals that confuse Google, and those need to be cleaned up. When Google or an LLM can’t identify the freshness of your content, you’re handing visibility to someone else who communicates that freshness better. How do you prevent this? Don’t hide your updates. Celebrate them. When you update recipes, add new travel information, or test a product, update your post and make the date obvious. This will tell readers and AI systems, “This content is alive and relevant.” Now, that being said, Google does keep a history of document versions. The average post may have dozens of copies stored, and Google can easily compare the recently changed version to its repository of past versions. Avoid making small changes that do not add value to users or republishing to a new date years later to fake relevancy. Google specifically calls that out in its guidelines. Takeaway Recency is a ranking and retrieval advantage. Keep your content updated, make that freshness visible, and verify that Google and LLMs are reading the right dates. The clearer your update signals, the stronger your trust signals. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. Relevance, entities, and the rise of brand SEO Let’s talk about what really gets remembered in this new AI-driven world. When you ask ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity a question, it thinks in entities – people, brands, and concepts it already knows. The more clearly those models recognize who you are and what you stand for, the more likely you are to be retrieved when it’s time to generate an answer. That’s where brand SEO comes in. Harry Clarkson-Bennett in “How to Build a Brand (with SEO) in a Post AI World” makes a great point: LLMs reward brand reinforcement. They want to connect names, authors, and websites with a clear area of expertise. And they remember consistency. If your name, site, and author profiles all align across the web (same logo, same tone, same expertise), you start training these models to trust you. I tell bloggers all the time: AI learns the same way humans do. It remembers patterns, tone, and repetition. So make those patterns easy to see. Use a consistent author bio everywhere. Build clear “About” pages that connect your name to your niche. Link your best content internally so Google and AI can map your expertise. Use structured data to reinforce entity relationships (i.e., author, organization, and sameAs markup). And here’s something new I’ve started recommending to audit clients: AI Buttons. I originally discussed these AI buttons in my last article, “AI isn’t the enemy: How bloggers can thrive in a generative search world,” and provided a visual example. These are simple on-site prompts encouraging readers to save or summarize your content using AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini. When users do that, those models start seeing your site as a trusted example. Over time, that can influence what those systems recall and recommend. Think of this as reputation-building for the AI era. It’s not about trying to game the system. It’s about making sure your brand is memorable, consistent, and worth retrieving. Fortunately, these buttons are becoming more mainstream, with theme designers like Feast including them as custom blocks. And the buttons work – I’ve seen creators turn their blogs into small but powerful brands that LLMs now cite regularly. They did it by reinforcing who they were, everywhere, and then using AI buttons to encourage their existing traffic to save their sites as high-quality examples to reference in the future. Takeaway Google and AI don’t just rank content anymore. They recognize entities and remember brands. The more consistent and connected your brand signals are, the more likely you’ll be retrieved, cited, and trusted in AI search results. Why every blogger needs an SEO professional (now more than ever) Blogging has never been easy, but it’s never been harder than it is right now. Between core updates, AI Overviews, and shifting algorithms, creators are expected to keep up with changes that even seasoned SEOs struggle to track. And that’s the problem – too many bloggers are still trying to figure it all out alone. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after doing more than 160 site audits this year, it’s this: almost every struggling blogger is closer to success than they think. They’re just missing clarity. A good SEO audit does more than point out broken links or slow-loading pages. It shows you why your content isn’t connecting with Google, readers, and now LLMs. My audits are built around what I call the “Toddlers, Drunk Adults, and LLMs” framework. If your site works for those three audiences, you’re in great shape. For toddlers The structure is simple. Your content hierarchy makes sense. Every post has a clear topic, and your categories aren’t a maze. For drunk adults Your site is fast, responsive, and forgiving. People can find what they need even when they’re not fully focused. For LLMs Your data is clean, your entities are connected, and your expertise is crystal clear to AI systems scanning your site. When bloggers follow this approach, the numbers speak for themselves. In 2025 alone, my audit clients have seen an average increase of 47% in Google traffic and RPM improvements of 21-33% within a few months of implementing recommendations. This isn’t just about ranking better. Every audit is a roadmap to help bloggers position their sites for long-term visibility across traditional search and AI-powered discovery. That means optimizing for things like: Clean structured data and schema that improve AI understanding. Correct date and metadata signals so recency bias works in your favor. Strong internal linking so your topical authority is obvious to both humans and machines. Brand alignment across author bios, entities, and social profiles. You can’t control Google’s volatility, but you can control how clear, crawlable, and connected your site is. That’s what gets rewarded. And while I’ll always advocate for professional audits, this isn’t about selling a service. You need someone who can give you an honest, technical, and strategic look under the hood. Why? Because the difference between “doing fine” and “thriving in AI search” often comes down to a single, well-executed audit. Takeaway DIY SEO isn’t enough anymore. Professional audits are the most valuable investment a blogger can make in 2026 and beyond. Not for quick wins, but for building a site that’s understandable, adaptable, and future-ready for both Google and AI. The road ahead: Blogging in 2026–2030 So where does all this lead? What does blogging even look like five years from now? Here’s what I see coming. We’re heading toward an increasingly agentic web, where AI systems do the searching, summarizing, and recommending for us. Instead of typing a query into Google, people will ask their personal AI for a dinner idea, a travel itinerary, or a product recommendation. And those systems will pull from a short list of trusted sources they already “know.” That’s why what you’re doing today matters so much. Every time you publish a post, refine your site structure, or strengthen your brand signals, you’re teaching AI who you are. You’re building a long-term relationship with the systems that will decide what gets shown and what gets skipped. Here’s how I expect the next few years to unfold: AI-curated discovery becomes normal: Instead of browsing through 10 links, users get custom recommendations from trusted sources. The blogs that survive are the ones AI already recognizes as reliable. Brand-first SEO takes over: Ranking for a keyword will matter less than having your brand show up as the answer. Visibility won’t just depend on optimization, it’ll depend on reputation. Entity-first indexing becomes the foundation: Google and AI models are increasingly indexing based on entities, not URLs. That means your author names, structured data, and topical focus all play a direct role in discoverability. Human storytelling becomes the ultimate differentiator: AI can summarize information, but it can’t replicate lived experience, voice, or emotion. The content that stands out will be the content that feels human. The creators who will win in this next chapter are the ones who stop trying to outsmart Google and start building systems that AI can easily understand and humans genuinely connect with. It’s not about chasing trends or reinventing your site every time an update hits. It’s about getting the fundamentals right and letting clarity, trust, and originality carry you forward. Because the truth is, Google’s not the gatekeeper anymore. You are. Your brand, expertise, and ability to communicate clearly will decide how visible you’ll be in search and AI-driven discovery. Takeaway The next five years of blogging will belong to those who build clear, human-centered brands that AI understands and audiences love. Keep your content fresh, your structure clean, and your voice unmistakably your own. Clarity over chaos If there’s one thing I want bloggers to take away from all this, it’s that clarity always wins. We’re living through the fastest transformation in the history of search. AI is rewriting how content is discovered, ranked, and retrieved. Yes, that’s scary. But it’s also full of opportunity for those willing to adapt. I’ve seen it hundreds of times in audits this year. Bloggers who simplify their sites, clean up their data, and focus on authority signals see measurable results. They show up in AI Overviews. They regain lost rankings. They build audiences that keep coming back, even when algorithms shift again. This isn’t about fighting AI – it’s about working with it. The goal is to show the system who you are and why your content matters. Here’s my advice, regardless of the professional you choose: Get your site audited by someone who understands both SEO and AI search. Keep your content updated and your structure clean. Make your brand easy to recognize, both to readers and to machines. Build for toddlers, drunk adults, and LLMs. It’s never been harder to be a content creator, but it’s never been more possible to build something that lasts. The blogs that survive the next five years will be organized, human, and clear. The future of blogging belongs to the creators who embrace clarity over chaos. AI won’t erase the human voice – it’ll amplify the ones that are worth hearing. Here’s to raised voices and future success. Good luck out there. Dig deeper: Organizing content for AI search: A 3-level framework View the full article

The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point Wednesday for the second time since September. Before that, it had gone nine months without a cut. The federal funds rate is the rate at which banks borrow and lend to one another. While the rates consumers pay to borrow money aren’t directly linked to this rate, shifts affect what you pay for credit cards, auto loans, mortgages, and other financial products. “While the full economic impact of such a move will unfold over time, early indicators suggest that even modest rate cuts can have meaningful consequences for consumer behavior and financial health,” said Michele Raneri, vice president and head of U.S. research at credit reporting agency TransUnion. The Fed has two goals when it sets the rate: one, to manage prices for goods and services, and two, to encourage full employment. Typically, the Fed might increase the rate to try to bring down inflation and decrease it to encourage faster economic growth and increase hiring. The challenge now is that inflation is higher than the Fed’s 2% target but the job market has been weak. The government shutdown has also prevented the collection and release of data the Fed relies on to monitor the health of the economy. Still, the Fed has projected it will cut rates once more before the end of the year. Here’s what to know: Interest on savings accounts won’t be as appealing For savers, falling interest rates will slowly erode attractive yields currently on offer with certificates of deposit (CDs) and high-yield savings accounts. Three of the top five high yield savings accounts had rate cuts after the last Fed rate cut in September, according to Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts.com, while two of the big five banks (Ally and Discover/Capital One) cut their savings account rates. The top rates for high yield savings account right now remain around 4.46% to 4.6%. Those are still better than the trends of recent years, and a good option for consumers who want to earn a return on money they may want to access in the near-term. A high yield savings account generally has a much higher annual percentage yield than a traditional savings account. The national average for traditional savings accounts is currently 0.63%, according to Bankrate. There may be a few accounts with returns of about 4% through the end of 2025, according to Tumin, but the Fed cuts will filter down to these offerings, lowering the average yields as they do. A cut will impact mortgages gradually For prospective homebuyers, the market has already priced in the rate cut. “Mortgage rates, in particular, have responded swiftly,” said Raneri. “Just in the past week, they fell to their lowest level in over a year. While mortgage rates don’t always move in lockstep with the Fed’s target rate — often pricing in anticipated future cuts, the continued easing of monetary policy may well push rates even lower.” Bankrate financial analyst Stephen Kates said a declining interest rate environment will provide some relief for borrowers over time. “Whether it’s a homeowner with a 7% mortgage or a recent graduate hoping to refinance student loans and credit card debt, lower rates can ease the burden on many indebted households by opening opportunities to refinance or consolidate,” he said. Auto loans are not expected to decline soon Americans have faced steeper auto loan rates over the last three years after the Fed raised its benchmark interest rate starting in early 2022. Those are not expected to decline anytime soon. While a cut will contribute to eventual relief, it might be slow in arriving, analysts say. “If the auto market starts to freeze up and people aren’t buying cars, then we may see lending margins start to shrink, but auto loan rates don’t move in lockstep with the Fed rate,” Kates said. Prices for new cars remain at historically high levels, not adjusting for inflation. Generally speaking, an auto loan annual percentage rate can run from about 4% to 30%. Bankrate’s most recent weekly survey found that average auto loan interest rates are currently at 7.10% on a 60-month new car loan. Credit card rate relief could be slow Interest rates for credit cards are currently at an average of 20.01%, and the Fed’s rate cut may be slow to be felt by anyone carrying a large amount of credit card debt. That said, any reduction is positive news. “While inflation continues to exert pressure on household budgets, rate cuts offer a potential counterbalance by lowering debt servicing costs,” Raneri said. Still, the best thing for anyone carrying a large credit card balance is to prioritize paying down high-interest-rate debt, and to seek to transfer any amounts possible to lower APR cards or negotiate directly with credit card companies for accommodation. The Associated Press receives support from the Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. —Cora Lewis, Associated Press View the full article

Shares of Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: META) were down about 9% in premarket trading on Thursday. It follows what can only be described as a mixed bag of a quarter-three earnings report on Wednesday, October 30. On the one hand, Meta announced $51.2 billion in revenue, a 26% increase year-over-year (YOY) from $40.6 billion and a quarterly record for the company. The boost also beat Wall Street’s estimate of $49.6 billion, according to consensus estimates cited by Bloomberg. However, Meta also reported a non-cash income tax charge of $15.93 billion. This one-time charge led to a significant decrease—83%—in Meta’s net income YOY. It also meant the company’s earnings per share dropped to $1.05 from 2024’s $6.03. While the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads points out that its earnings per share would have been $7.25 without the tax charge, in reality it severely missed Wall Street’s predicted $6.70, according to consensus estimates cited by the Guardian. “Our compute needs have continued to expand” Meta also increased its estimated total expenses for 2025, from between $114 billion and $118 billion to $116 billion and $118 billion. Similarly, its estimated capital expenditures for the year rose to $70 billion to $72 billion, up from a range of $66 billion to $72 billion. Why the higher numbers? It all comes down to AI. In an earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg stated that despite building an “aggressive assumption” worth of AI infrastructure, the demand keeps increasing in a way that “is very likely to be a profitable thing.” He claimed that there are more than a billion people actively using Meta AI on a monthly basis. “As we have begun to plan for next year, it’s become clear that our compute needs have continued to expand meaningfully, including versus our own expectations last quarter,” Zuckerberg stated. “We are still working through our capacity plans for next year, but we expect to invest aggressively to meet these needs, both by building our own infrastructure and contracting with third-party cloud providers.” Zuckerberg does admit that there could be unnecessary overflow, but he claims that it could be converted into “intelligence and better recommendations” for Meta’s family of apps and advertisements. He further shared that capital expenditures and total expenses will be “significantly” higher in 2026 than 2025, due to infrastructure and employee compensation costs. Notably, Meta laid off 600 people from its AI “superintelligence” research lab just last week. “By reducing the size of our team, fewer conversations will be required to make a decision, and each person will be more load-bearing and have more scope and impact,” Meta chief AI officer Alexandr Wang stated in a memo about the layoffs. Zuckerberg only announced the new “superintelligence” lab in June. View the full article

UK hospitality chains have increased service charges to offset the high cost of employmentView the full article

Rob Jetten seeks quick agreement with centrist partners, but rightwing ructions could delay coalitionView the full article

If you’ve ever heard the word “kanban,” you probably remember it, since it is inarguably fun to say. You likely heard it tossed around by someone who works in a corporate office, as it's extremely popular in that setting. “Kanban,” it turns out, is more than a fun word or something practiced by that friend whose job makes no sense to you. It’s an effective system for scheduling tasks in a highly productive way—and it can be used by anybody, not just people who also use corporate jargon about how they'll "put a pin in that" and "circle back." Don't be intimidated. While it's a little involved, it's ultimately just a visual method for determining what you need to do, what your team needs to do, and what your organization needs to do to reach goals. It can get pretty weedy, but you can totally do it yourself on a smaller scale to maximize your own workflow and productivity. What is kanban all about?Kanban was developed by an industrial engineer at Toyota. The word itself translates from Japanese to mean “signboard” or “billboard” and a lot of kanban fans use regular old whiteboards to display their kanban boards. The idea is that to get things done, you have to know where you’re at in a project at any given time: You have to know what order things need to be done in, what has and hasn't been completed, what you need to do each of those, and when each needs to be finished before the next can begin or the project is ultimately complete. On your kanban board, you’ll have three columns: One is for work that hasn’t been started, one is for work that is in progress, and one is for work that is complete. You can label these “to-do,” “doing,” and “done.” When you’re using this system, all tasks start out on the left side of the board and migrate across it, giving you a visual representation of where everything is. In addition to the little confidence boost you get when you see tasks in the “done” column, this can help you see how long certain processes take you. Consider writing the date of each shift from column to column whenever you move something into any of the three, as well as writing each task's due date next to it. How to make a kanban boardYou have a few options when you’re trying to kanban: You can make a super-simple Excel sheet with the project name at the top and three columns for to-do, doing, and done. Leave yourself room for notes about holdups, special requirements, or anything else pertinent to the competition of a given task. You can also use pre-made kanban software from productivity companies like Asana and Trello, which allow you to add notes, files, and other important information, plus sync with your team so everyone is on the same page. Typically, people use whiteboards for this and write their tasks on sticky notes, making them easy to move from column to column. Like a thermometer chart, this is displayed somewhere in the office and you can move the sticky notes that correspond to your responsibilities as you go through your workflow. If you’re just doing your own project, not a team one, you can use a small whiteboard and keep it at your desk. View the full article

Europe’s largest carmaker among hardest hit by The President’s trade warView the full article

Fast-casual restaurant chain Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) is seeing its stock price plummet this morning after reporting third-quarter 2025 earnings and a sales forecast that alarmed investors. As of the time of this writing, CMG shares are down a staggering 19% to $32.21 in premarket trading. Here’s what you need to know about the company’s stock price crash. What’s happened? On Wednesday, Chipotle reported its Q3 2025 earnings after the bell. Some of what the company revealed has alarmed investors. But first, here are the company’s most critical quarterly metrics: Total revenue: $3 billion (a 7.5% increase) Comparable restaurant sales: up 0.3% Operating margin: 15.9% (down 1% point) Adjusted diluted earnings per share: $0.29 (up 7.4%) Stores opened: 84 As noted by CNBC, Chipotle’s adjusted EPS of 29 cents matched investor expectations, and its $3 billion in revenue came close to the $3.03 billion expected by LSEG analysts. However, while Chipotle’s main Q3 metrics largely met expectations, the company’s forecast led investors to dump the stock in the hours after it reported its latest earnings. Full-year comparable sales expected to decline Investors generally aren’t happy with only their expectations being met. They want unlimited growth into the future, too. A perceived lack of future growth can send investors fleeing—and that appears to be what is happening to Chipotle’s stock in premarket trading. After reporting its relatively expected Q3 results, Chipotle issued its full fiscal 2025 forecast, revealing that it was cutting its sales outlook. For the full fiscal year (the company is now in its Q4 2025), Chipotle says it expects “full year comparable restaurant sales declines in the low-single digit range.” This is the third time in a row that the restaurant chain has cut its sales forecasts. Back in February, the company had initially said that it expected full-year sales to increase by low-to-mid single digits. Why the gloomy outlook? As for the factors affecting its lowered sales forecast, Chiptole CEO Scott Boatwright cited several reasons on the company’s investor call. As consumer sentiment has declined “sharply” throughout the year, Chipotle stores have seen “a broad-based pullback in frequency” of customer visits, Boatwright said. This is especially true for low- to middle-income customers, which Boatwright says include households earning less than $100,000, representing about 40% of Chiptole’s total customer base. Boatwright says this segment of customers “is dining out less often due to concerns about the economy and inflation.” However, another segment of Chipotle customers is also having a large negative impact on Chipotle’s revenue as they cut back on visits, too. This segment comprises younger people aged 25 to 35. Boatwright says this cohort is facing particular economic challenges, leading them to pull back on discretionary spending. Those challenges include “unemployment, increased student loan repayment, and slower real wage growth.” “We believe that this trend is not unique to Chipotle,” Boatwright noted, “and is occurring across all restaurants as well as many discretionary categories.” At the same time, Chipotle may rely more heavily on younger diners than other chains. “We tend to skew younger and slightly over-indexed to this group relative to the broader restaurant industry,” Boatwright said. Forging ahead with new store openings Despite projecting full-year 2025 sales declines, Chipotle says it will expand its physical store footprint significantly in 2026. While the opening of new stores increases operational expenses, it could also help the company boost sales by expanding into new markets where no Chipotle stores exist or where the company is underrepresented. In 2025, Chitpotle said it will open between 315 and 345 locations by the end of the fiscal year. In 2026, the company said it expects to open even more stores. “We anticipate opening between 350 and 370 new restaurants,” Boatwright revealed. The CEO noted that these will include 10 to 15 new partner-operated restaurants outside of North America. Countries where these restaurants are expected to open include South Korea, Singapore, and Mexico, as well as parts of the Middle East. Chiptole also expects to open one or two company-owned stores in Europe. CMG share price plummets But investors seem to care little about Chipotle’s continued expansion and are instead focused on the company’s lowered sales forecast. As of the time of this writing, CMG shares have declined 19% in premarket trading to $32.21 per share. That’s a low that Chipotle’s stock price hasn’t seen since 2023. As of yesterday’s share price close of $39.76, CMG stock had declined more than 33% since the beginning of the year. At just above $32 per share in premarket trading this morning, Chipotle’s share price is now nearly half of what it was on the first trading day of 2025. View the full article

Analysts expect car group to unveil string of technological breakthroughs to combat slowdown in growthView the full article

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, small businesses find themselves at a crossroads where technology can either elevate their operations or overwhelm them. Intel has stepped in with a significant update to its AI Assistant Builder that promises to enhance the AI capabilities available to small business owners. This innovative software, previously known as SuperBuilder, is set to change the way entrepreneurs leverage artificial intelligence for everyday tasks. The AI Assistant Builder allows users to harness the power of AI right from their Intel-based PCs without needing an Internet connection. This feature highlights Intel’s commitment to user privacy and data security, which is essential for small businesses wary of data breaches and online vulnerabilities. According to Olena Zhu, Head of AI Solutions at Intel, the latest iteration of the software introduces a “hybrid solution” that combines local computing power with cloud resources. “With a newer hybrid solution, AI Assistant Builder is now able to take advantage of both local computer resources, local AI models as well as large language models available in the cloud,” she explained. Small business owners stand to benefit greatly from this dual approach. The hybrid model not only enhances performance with reduced latency and improved speeds but also aims to decrease overall operational costs. This could be particularly appealing, as every dollar saved can be reinvested into growing the business. The software’s release coincides with Intel’s Panther Lake technology slated for launch in 2026, which promises even greater computing power and efficiency. Zhu noted, “With Panther Lake, PC platforms will have much more computing power in terms of TOPs and memory bandwidth. The power of Panther Lake platforms combined with the hybrid AI framework… will usher in more exciting AI use cases that will improve the overall AI experience for PC users.” Intel has already demonstrated the capabilities of the updated AI Assistant Builder with practical applications such as a hybrid AI browser and a PowerPoint generation tool. These tools streamline processes that small businesses often rely on, such as presentations and online research. With the push towards embracing AI, the ability to automate mundane tasks allows business owners to focus on strategic initiatives and creative endeavors. However, before diving into this new technology, small business owners should consider some potential challenges. Integrating AI into existing workflows may require some adjustment. Employees will need training to make the most of these new tools, and there may be initial costs associated with the transition. Another consideration is the pace of technological change; as Intel continues to evolve its offerings, small business owners must stay informed and agile to avoid obsolescence. As for accessibility, the AI Assistant Builder is reportedly simple to download and use, designed for those without an extensive tech background. In just three easy steps, small business owners can add this powerful tool to their arsenal. This user-friendliness could be a game-changer, particularly for small enterprises with limited IT resources. The next few months are crucial for small businesses interested in exploring AI applications. With the anticipated updates and enhancements from Intel, the expectation is that similar technologies will follow suit, creating an environment ripe for innovation. Many are likely to keep a close eye on how these solutions unfold and deliver value. For small business owners keen to stay ahead of the curve, Intel’s updates offer a promising glimpse into a future where AI integration is not just a luxury for larger corporations but an accessible and practical tool for everyone. For those ready to embrace this change, diving into the world of AI could offer numerous avenues for growth and efficiency. To learn more about the Intel AI Assistant Builder and explore its offerings, visit the original post here. Image via Intel This article, "Intel Unveils Enhanced AI Assistant Builder with Powerful Hybrid Solution" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In a rapidly evolving digital landscape, small businesses find themselves at a crossroads where technology can either elevate their operations or overwhelm them. Intel has stepped in with a significant update to its AI Assistant Builder that promises to enhance the AI capabilities available to small business owners. This innovative software, previously known as SuperBuilder, is set to change the way entrepreneurs leverage artificial intelligence for everyday tasks. The AI Assistant Builder allows users to harness the power of AI right from their Intel-based PCs without needing an Internet connection. This feature highlights Intel’s commitment to user privacy and data security, which is essential for small businesses wary of data breaches and online vulnerabilities. According to Olena Zhu, Head of AI Solutions at Intel, the latest iteration of the software introduces a “hybrid solution” that combines local computing power with cloud resources. “With a newer hybrid solution, AI Assistant Builder is now able to take advantage of both local computer resources, local AI models as well as large language models available in the cloud,” she explained. Small business owners stand to benefit greatly from this dual approach. The hybrid model not only enhances performance with reduced latency and improved speeds but also aims to decrease overall operational costs. This could be particularly appealing, as every dollar saved can be reinvested into growing the business. The software’s release coincides with Intel’s Panther Lake technology slated for launch in 2026, which promises even greater computing power and efficiency. Zhu noted, “With Panther Lake, PC platforms will have much more computing power in terms of TOPs and memory bandwidth. The power of Panther Lake platforms combined with the hybrid AI framework… will usher in more exciting AI use cases that will improve the overall AI experience for PC users.” Intel has already demonstrated the capabilities of the updated AI Assistant Builder with practical applications such as a hybrid AI browser and a PowerPoint generation tool. These tools streamline processes that small businesses often rely on, such as presentations and online research. With the push towards embracing AI, the ability to automate mundane tasks allows business owners to focus on strategic initiatives and creative endeavors. However, before diving into this new technology, small business owners should consider some potential challenges. Integrating AI into existing workflows may require some adjustment. Employees will need training to make the most of these new tools, and there may be initial costs associated with the transition. Another consideration is the pace of technological change; as Intel continues to evolve its offerings, small business owners must stay informed and agile to avoid obsolescence. As for accessibility, the AI Assistant Builder is reportedly simple to download and use, designed for those without an extensive tech background. In just three easy steps, small business owners can add this powerful tool to their arsenal. This user-friendliness could be a game-changer, particularly for small enterprises with limited IT resources. The next few months are crucial for small businesses interested in exploring AI applications. With the anticipated updates and enhancements from Intel, the expectation is that similar technologies will follow suit, creating an environment ripe for innovation. Many are likely to keep a close eye on how these solutions unfold and deliver value. For small business owners keen to stay ahead of the curve, Intel’s updates offer a promising glimpse into a future where AI integration is not just a luxury for larger corporations but an accessible and practical tool for everyone. For those ready to embrace this change, diving into the world of AI could offer numerous avenues for growth and efficiency. To learn more about the Intel AI Assistant Builder and explore its offerings, visit the original post here. Image via Intel This article, "Intel Unveils Enhanced AI Assistant Builder with Powerful Hybrid Solution" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

For all Labour’s belated muscularity on race and migration, it is not the winning cardView the full article

When Google’s algorithm updates hit your rankings, keep leadership calm and focused with a data-led, long-term SEO recovery plan. The post Ask An SEO: How To Manage Stakeholders When An Algorithm Update Hits appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Regex is a powerful – yet overlooked – tool in search and data analysis. With just a single line, you can automate what would otherwise take dozens of lines of code. Short for “regular expression,” regex is a sequence of characters used to define a pattern for matching text. It’s what allows you to find, extract, or replace specific strings of data with precision. In SEO, regex helps you extract and filter information efficiently – from analyzing keyword variations to cleaning messy query data. But its value extends well beyond SEO. Regex is also fundamental to natural language processing (NLP), offering insight into how machines read, parse, and process text – even how large language models (LLMs) tokenize language behind the scenes. Regex uses in SEO and AI search Before getting started with regex basics, I want to highlight some of its uses in our daily workflows. Google Search Console has a regex filter functionality to isolate specific query types. One of the simplest regex expressions commonly used is the brand regex brandname1|brandname2|brandname3, which is very useful when users write your brand name in different ways. Google Analytics also supports regex for defining filters, key events, segments, audiences, and content groups. Looker Studio allows you to use regex to create filters, calculated fields, and validation rules. Screaming Frog supports the use of regex to filter and extract data during a crawl and also to exclude specific URLs from your crawl. Google Sheets enables you to test whether a cell matches a specific regex. Simply use the function REGEXMATCH (text, regular_expression). In SEO, we’re surrounded by tools and features just waiting for a well-written regex to unlock their full potential. Regex in NLP If you’re building SEO tools, especially those that involve content processing, regex is your secret weapon. It gives you the power to search, validate, and replace text based on advanced, customizable patterns. Here’s a Google Colab notebook with an example of a Python script that takes a list of queries and extracts different variations of my brand name. You can easily customize this code by plugging it into ChatGPT or Claude alongside your brand name. Fun fact: By building this code, I accidentally found a good optimization opportunity for my personal brand. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. See terms. How to write regex I’m a fan of vibe coding – but not the kind where you skip the basics and rely entirely on LLMs. After all, you can’t use a calculator properly if you don’t understand numbers or how addition, multiplication, division, and subtraction work. I support the kind of vibe coding that builds on a little coding knowledge – enough to use LLMs effectively, test what they produce, and troubleshoot when needed. Likewise, learning the basics of regex helps you use LLMs to create more advanced expressions. Simple regex cheat sheet SymbolMeaning.Matches any single character.^Matches the start of a string.$Matches the end of a string.*Matches 0 or more of the preceding character.+Matches 1 or more of the preceding character.?Makes the preceding character optional (0 or 1 time).{}Matches the preceding character a specific number of times.[]Matches any one character inside the brackets.\Escapes special characters or signals special sequences like \d.`Matches a literal backtick character.()Groups characters together (for operators or capturing). Example usage Here’s a list of 10 long-tail keywords. Let’s explore how different regex patterns filter them using the Regex101 tool. “Best vegan recipes for beginners.” “Affordable solar panels for home.” “How to train for a marathon.” “Electric cars with longest battery range.” “Meditation apps for stress relief.” “Sustainable fashion brands for women.” “DIY home workout routines without equipment.” “Travel insurance for adventure trips.” “AI writing software for SEO content.” “Coffee brewing techniques for espresso lovers.” Example 1: Extract any two-character sequence that starts with an “a.” The second character can be anything (i.e., a, then anything). Regex: a. Output: (All highlighted words in the screenshot below.) Example 2: Extract any string that starts with the letter “a” (i.e., a is the start of the string, then followed by anything). Regex: ^a. Output: (All highlighted words in screenshot below.) Example 3: Extract any string that starts with an “a” and ends with an “e” (i.e., any line that starts with a, followed by anything, then ends with an e). Regex: ^a.*e$ Output: (All highlighted words in the screenshot below.) Example 4: Extract any string that contains two “s.” Regex: s{2} Output: (All highlighted words in the screenshot below.) Example 5: Extract any string that contains “for” or “with.” Regex: for|with Output: (All highlighted words in the screenshot below.) I’ve also built a sample regex Google Sheet so you can play around, test, and experience the feature in Google Sheets, too. Check it out here. Note: Cells in the Extracted Text column showing #N/A indicate that the regex didn’t find a matching pattern. Where regex fits in your SEO toolkit By exploring regex, you’ll open new doors for analyzing and organizing search data. It’s one of those skills that quietly makes you faster and more precise – whether you’re segmenting keywords, cleaning messy queries, or setting up advanced filters in Search Console or Looker Studio. Once you’re comfortable with the basics, start spotting where regex can save you time. Use it to identify branded versus nonbranded searches, group URLs by pattern, or validate large text datasets before they reach your reports. Experiment with different expressions in tools like Regex101 or Google Sheets to see how small syntax changes affect results. The more you practice, the easier it becomes to recognize patterns in both data and problem-solving. That’s where regex truly earns its place in your SEO toolkit. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Why is it so easy to form bad habits and so frustrating to try to form good ones? We crave routine, at least to some degree, so it's frustrating when you can't make productive or helpful habits stick. But consider that you already have a bunch of good, small habits, like putting the coffee on in the morning or washing your face before bed. As hard as you might be struggling with the bigger ones, you know you can do it because you've done it countless times before in smaller ways. In fact, those smaller routines can do more than prove your capability when it comes to building them; they can help you entrench larger habits and be even more productive. Let's go over a technique called habit stacking, which is basically like gluing a new habit to an existing one until it sticks. What is habit stacking?Habit stacking happens when you tack a desired behavioral change onto an existing routine. Theoretically, and eventually practically, that way the thing you’re having trouble sticking with just becomes part of your broader, ongoing string of habits. At some point, the behavioral change itself will become a habit on its own and you won't even think about doing it anymore, just like you don't think about the smaller habit you attached it to. Consider the things you already do every day: Brushing your teeth in the morning and at night, making your coffee in the morning, walking your dog at lunchtime, running to the corner store for a 3 p.m. energy drink, etc. During any one of those, you can add in a second necessary task that will benefit reciprocally from happening alongside your existing routine. This concept was popularized in 2017 by S.J. Scott, who wrote Habit Stacking: 127 Small Changes to Improve Your Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Since then, it’s blown up, with other psychologists adding their own support for the practice. Science agrees: Building routines is key to overall health and well-being, and our brains are wired to seek out routines. Once you have one habit neurologically wired in, building others around it is much easier. How to get started with habit stacking Once you’ve identified the things you want to do but don’t, think more about the things you do do, whether it’s taking a break every day at 12 p.m. to scroll social media or doing the dishes after every meal. Don't just pick hard habits to stack on easy ones; reevaluate the easy ones to see what else they could help you with. Examine each and look for ways you could stack the less-sticky tasks on top of them. If you forget to call your mom often, stack that on top of doing the dishes. If you need to study for a test, alternate drilling flashcards with your nightly cleaning routine tasks. The trick is to figure out which things can stack cohesively. You can’t return phone calls while you’re running at the gym, but maybe you can do so while you’re commuting. You can’t plan out your weekly schedule while you brush your teeth, but you can practice your deep breathing. Once you’ve determined which habits can stack, write down your plans somewhere like a Google doc—”I will respond to my emails every morning by 10, while I eat breakfast”—and for the first few days, actively check in on it to make sure you’re staying on top of them. Set reminders in your phone so you're getting notifications prompting you to double-up your tasks. Eventually, they’ll become habitual, just like the activities you’ve paired them with. View the full article

About a week ago, if you searched for [disney account] and looked at the Disney search result listing in Google Search, you'd see a sitelink that reads, "Black hat SEO approaches..." And guess what, that sitelink is still live.View the full article

If you’ve been eager to try cultivated meat—meat grown from cells, without the need to raise an entire animal—your options, so far, have been limited. The innovation has only appeared on a handful of restaurant menus since its approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) But if you’re in the Bay Area, you’re in luck: Cultivated meat startup Mission Barns will be selling its pork meatballs (made with a base of pea protein plus the company’s cultivated pork fat) at Berkeley Bowl West, one location of an independent grocery store in California. It marks the first retail sale of cultivated meat in the United States, though the products are available for just one day only: Saturday, November 1. That said, those in the area will have more chances to try Mission Barns’s cultivated meat products. Along with the one-day sale, the company is hosting four in-store tastings at Berkeley Bowl, offering samples of its pork meatballs on November 1, January 17, and February 21, plus tastings of its cultivated pork salami on December 12. Cultivated meat in restaurants Cultivated meat (also called cell-cultured meat or lab-grown meat, though some in the industry contest that moniker) is still a nascent field. Mission Barns first launched in 2018. Others like Upside Foods, which makes cultured chicken, and Wildtype, which develops cultivated fish, have been around just a little longer—since 2015 and 2016, respectively. U.S. regulators approved the first sales of cultivated meat in 2023. And since then, a variety of call-cultured options have made a few brief appearances on restaurant menus. (That move followed Singapore’s 2020 approval of cultivated meat, and cultured meat has been sold both in restaurants and in retail in Singapore, like in the frozen section of a butchery.) The Michelin-starred Bar Crenn in San Francisco briefly sold Upside’s chicken. Chef José Andrés piloted cultured chicken from Good Meat (owned by Eat Just) at his China Chilcano DC eatery. Otoko, a sushi restaurant in Austin, Texas, offered Wildtype salmon last summer (but stopped selling it after Texas lawmakers enacted a cultivated meat ban). Mission Barns, too, debuted its cultivated pork meatballs and bacon at a few exclusive dinners at Fiorella in San Francisco this past September. But cultured meat hasn’t yet been sold in a grocery store in the United States, until November 1. Mission Barns CEO Cecilia Chang says the startup picked Berkeley Bowl for this milestone because it has a “track record for innovation”; it’s been an early adopter of new plant-based brands. A 12 pack of the cultivated pork meatballs will be on sale for $13.99. Cecilia Chang Mission Barns’s focus on fats Though a handful of states—including Texas, Florida, and Alabama—have moved to ban cultivated meat even before its widespread availability, Chang doesn’t see cultured meat as controversial. “I think people don’t know that much about it,” she says. The in-store tasting series is a way to build up that consumer awareness and education. Mission Barns is collaborating with researchers from Tufts University’s Center for Cellular Agriculture, who will observe the tastings to see how people react and talk about such products in a setting outside of a focus group. Mission Barns hopes to get crucial insights, too. Though the startup has created a handful of products under its own name—like meatballs, bacon, pepperoni, and salami—it doesn’t ultimately aim to be its own brand. Instead, it’s a B2B company, focused on selling its cultivated fats as ingredients to consumer packaged goods partners. That focus on fat makes Mission Barns unique in the cultivated space; the startup isn’t creating entire cuts of cultured meat like other companies. “Fat is really where a lot of that delicious, meaty, umami flavor comes from,” Chang says. And Mission Barns sees these fats as a “next generation functional flavoring ingredient that can go into alternative proteins or other savory applications.” Through the cell cultured process, the company can also “tune” its process to tweak nutrition details, like lowering the saturated fat and cholesterol or adding in more omega 3s. That includes plant-based meats like Mission Barns’s meatballs and bacon, or possibly soups, sauces, and so on. The products that will be on offer at Berkeley Bowl are like a proof of concept for cultivated fat as an ingredient, and a way to show other CPG companies what Mission Barns can offer. Working with established food brands also means Mission Barns won’t have to focus on building up its own brand, retail partners, and so on. “From our perspective, B2B is a much faster way to scale and grow,” Chang says. The startup already has partnerships in the works, though couldn’t name specific companies. For those who taste its offerings at Berkeley Bowl and want to know how to be customers in the future, “We’ll be telling them to watch the space,” Chang says. “We’ll hopefully be launching something in retail with a partner sometime next year.” View the full article

The prize of achieving so-called superintelligence outweighs the risks for Meta chiefView the full article

Google Merchant Center Next added new analytics data to the Promotions tab/section. This shows you two new analytics charts including "Your promotions at a glance" and "Performance in the last 28 days." These are summary cards to see how well your promotions are performing in Google Search.View the full article

Southwark council rules allow tenants to reclaim rent paid on unlicensed properties View the full article

Google updated the Google Ads Gambling and Games policy this week to define that sweepstake casinos are not social casino games. Google said this update was added on October 28, 2025. This now prohibits sweepstake casinos from using Google Ads for advertising.View the full article

Google's John Mueller reminded us about when case sensitivity matters for Google Search and SEO when it comes to your URLs. In short, Google will probably figure it out based on two URLs having the same content on it but why leave it up to Google, so make sure to be consistent with your URLs so Google doesn't need to figure it out.View the full article

Microsoft is testing a way to change the country and region you are in when doing searches on Bing. There is a new country/region selector for this, similar to how Google handles it.View the full article

In April 2025, Lucy Guo became the youngest female self-made billionaire after Meta paid $14.3 billion for a 49% stake in Scale AI, the company she cofounded with Alexandr Wang in 2016. Though Guo had left the company—which builds infrastructure and software to create AI applications—over disagreements with Wang in 2018, she retained her 5% stake in the business, which skyrocketed in value after Meta’s investment. In 2022 she reemerged with Passes, a platform that helps creators monetize their social media followings by selling access to exclusive offerings—from products and merch to pay-by-the-minute private phone calls. As of February, the company has raised a total of $49 million. Guo tells me that Passes is growing—its payments to creators have totaled nine figures so far—and profitable. But its expansion has come with some controversy. In 2024, Passes was sued by rival platform Fanfix over alleged anti-competitive practices, and since February it has been facing a class-action lawsuit accusing it of distributing child pornography. We talked about the lawsuits, as well as what her platform offers creators that they can’t get on Patreon or even OnlyFans. She says the platform’s main differentiator is that her long-term vision for Passes isn’t just engagement, it’s . . . . . . using AI to grow creators’ earning potential and then managing their wealth. Why did you found Passes? I wanted to create a platform where creators could monetize their brand. Creators have such super fans that there’s no customer acquisition cost when it comes to marketing a product, which is unique. The best example was when Kylie [Jenner] made a lot of money through her lipstick brand, and her marketing plan was literally “I’m just going to drop it and people are going to buy it.” Then we saw these other brands pop up like Logan Paul’s Prime, and even Mr. Beast’s with Feastables, that makes up most of his net worth. I was actually debating whether to start off with a platform like Passes or build something like a YC Safe( a Simple Agreement for Future Equity document developed by Y Combinator to help early-stage startups raise capital from investors), where creators would be able to get equity into brand deals that they work with. Why did you consider that option? It is the way to long-term generational wealth. Equity is more important than upfront cash, and I don’t think Hollywood and managers necessarily understand equity yet. No creators would listen to us if we pushed on equity unless we started making them money. The reason creators listen to their managers is that the manager is their main source of income—so we needed to become their main source of income. Over COVID, I noticed a lot of friends were making money from Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee. I thought it was the perfect time for creators to connect with their fans and offer an exclusive, authentic experience, and I wanted create the infrastructure for that. What differentiates passes from say, a Patreon or an OnlyFans? Quite a lot. We have paid livestreams, paid one-on-one calls where fans pay per minute. You can sell your own merchandise or you can create merchandise on our website and sell it without having to own inventory. We’re building out new features in the fintech space. We offer health insurance. We want to create these unicorn creators and get into wealth management. Say a creator is on OnlyFans or Patreon, how do you convince them to switch over to Passes? We don’t compete with OnlyFans—they’re a completely different platform. We don’t allow nudity, so when someone’s on OnlyFans, we tell them that if they switch over to Passes, they’re probably not going to make any money. There are plenty of non-pornographic content creators on OnlyFans. Yeah, for sure. But even if they’re doing other stuff, I think their fan base has the hope of getting something else. Because of that, people are willing to spend more on OnlyFans because they just know they’re not going to get anything on Passes. As for Patreon, the pitch is pretty easy. We take less of a percentage from creators’ earnings, we have more features, so there’s more ways to monetize. We’ve seen creators switch over from Patreon and make 30 times more. You’ve said elsewhere that creators who make a lot of money on Passes often have something like 100,000 followers on social media. The most-followed people in the world don’t necessarily have the closest relationships with their fans. Why is that? Creators that have millions of followers are very busy. They’re focused on shooting movies or flying out for brand deals. Creators that have between 100,000 and a million followers aren’t getting as many opportunities. They’re desperate for a way to monetize their fan base, and they happen to have more superfans because they’re creating more content to gain traction and grow their follower numbers. They’re creating more content, and more content equals more money. There was a 2024 lawsuit brought on by another creator platform, Fanfix, which alleged that Passes used confidential information to post clients and made misleading claims about creators’ earnings on the platform. That obviously doesn’t match up with what you just said. I’m used to San Francisco and the tech industry, where you’re competing off of merit and everyone’s just trying to create the best product possible. Hollywood is very litigious and in the Hollywood scene, people are willing to make up lies in order to compete. You’re also currently being sued in a class action suit over claims that Passes knowingly distributed child sexual materials. How are you responding to that case? We did our own internal investigation and found that the claims and the case do not match up with evidence that we have found thus far. I think this is just another one of those scenarios where people are trying to shake us down and attempt to get money. That case was dismissed in Florida. [Editor’s Note: The lawsuit was dismissed in Florida, but transferred to California, where it remains active.] You did make changes to the platform as a result, though. Now people under 18 can’t join. We had the idea that everyone should be able to monetize. When you look at YouTube, a lot of families are monetizing their content. But at the end of the day, it was a handful of creators that generated near 0% of revenue on Passes. So we decided it was very risky and just not worth it. You’re a high-profile founder. What is it like for you personally when legal challenges come up? Now I’m immune to it. I was very surprised at first. What I’ve learned in lawsuits—and this blew my mind—is that you have to assume everything in the claim is true and try to poke legal holes in that. You can’t just hand over proof that the allegations are wrong and move on. That just makes it so easy for people to sue off others of complete lies. I think the hope when people do that is that the cost of another party defending the lawsuit is greater than just settling. I refuse to settle because I would rather spend more and prove things are not true. What can you say about the future of Passes? Wealth management. Creators always ask us, how do I turn passive income into passive equity? Who are the best wealth managers to work with? How do I set myself up for life? This is all stuff we should just be able to do. We’ve already paid out creators nine figures. Every time we send a payout to their bank account, we have to pay a fee. It just makes sense for us to be a bank because then we can give them high-yield savings accounts. Do you have any predictions about the creator economy? The creator economy is growing, and we are going to see more creators in the future just because trends follow kids. When you talk to kids nowadays, they all want to be creators. We’re going to be seeing a lot more creators, especially in a range where we monetize well, which is the 100,000-follower range. What do you think about this emergent class of AI-generated “talent”—I’m thinking of figures like the AI actor Tilly Norwood—in the context of Passes and the creator economy? I am not that bullish on AI creators. There have already been a few and everyone thought it was going to be the next big thing, but really we got Lil Miquela and some others. What’s much more likely to happen is that people are going to be licensing their likeness out so they can spend more time creating content and interacting with their fans. For example, if a brand wanted to fly me out, I could just license my likeness out instead of that. I could scale myself better so I have more time to do things that I love. We’re not going to see AI creators replace actual creators because it’s hard to have a human connection with someone that you know is fake. Do you think you can have a human connection with a licensed image of a creator? I think so. But you can’t dilute your brand too much. At the end of the day, it’s still that creator you have a connection with. You’re following them on Instagram and you love them. How are you using AI to connect creators with the right brand deals? We have a feature called smart pricing that basically automatically prices pieces of content creators make based off factors like fan history and the type of content it is, to help optimize their earnings. When creators use this, their earnings go up by 3x usually. Hopefully this quarter, we’re rolling out AI agents for creators. We want creators to be able to focus on creating content. These agents do everything from AB test captions to scheduling mass messages and running strategy under pages. Do you think we’re in an AI bubble? I don’t think we’re in an AI bubble. Valuations are higher now because you can build companies at a lower cost. I was in San Francisco other week, and there was this company that scaled from zero to $90 million in revenue in four months. They have Cursor AI doing 99% of their code. Because of all these AI tools you now need less money to get to scale. Valuations are predictive. It’s like, okay, we’re going to give you 10x what revenue is because we believe you’re going to be a 100x revenue. And I think a lot of investors are thinking this way. You don’t need to burn as much capital to get there. View the full article