Perplexity.ai is planning to introduce advertising into its interface. In a post titled Why We’re Experimenting with Advertising, Perplexity outlined its approach: integrating sponsored questions crafted in collaboration with advertisers. While the questions will be labeled as sponsored, Perplexity says the answers will not be influenced by the advertiser. Instead, they will surface the paid advertisement next to the answer. The company's blog post did not show an example of the entire experience. Continue Reading →
I've known Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, for a long time. She is a dear friend. Yesterday, she posted an open letter to advertisers on X. I've appended it (unedited) below. In support of Linda's post, Elon posted, "We tried peace for 2 years, now it is war." As declarations of war go, this one is clear. Continue Reading →
As you probably know, Google has started rolling out AI summaries called "AI Overviews" in search results. Now, they are about to start testing search and shopping ads within AI Overviews in the U.S. The ads will be displayed in a "sponsored" section and will be relevant to both the query and the information in the AI Overview. Continue Reading →

Bad Apple

I'm having trouble processing what I just watched. It's an ad from Apple about its new iPad. It turned my stomach. Then, it made me incredibly angry. Then, I was just sad. Continue Reading →

Timing is Everything

Clicking on Jennifer Aniston’s Sweater Just Got Real
There's an article in The Verge today entitled “Streaming services really want you to buy stuff while you watch TV”, which reminded me of some sage advice I often got from the late Clayton P. Knowles, Jr., Esq. (my first general counsel). Continue Reading →
I am very sad to report that Perplexity.ai, my favorite hybrid AI search tool, is planning to sell ads. The company says it will focus on introducing "native ads" by allowing brands to influence the "related questions" feature, which accounts for 40% of Perplexity's queries. Continue Reading →
Super Bowl LVIII, which aired on CBS and was simulcast on various platforms (including Paramount+, Univision, and Nickelodeon), achieved a record-breaking 123.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched television broadcast in the United States since the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 and surpassing last year’s Super Bowl viewership of 115 million. Continue Reading →