Jan 12 2026
WordPress X Account’s ‘Childish’ Trolling Causes Backlash via @sejournal, @martinibuster

An official WordPress.org social media account was used to troll the open source movement to decentralize the WordPress plugins and themes repository, creating what some feel was an undignified, even “childish”, representation of the WordPress community.

What Is The FAIR Project?

The Federated And Independent Repositories project is an open-source initiative that was launched in 2025 in response to actions by Matt Mullenweg and Automattic that exposed a weakness in how plugins and themes are distributed to WordPress sites. The project was initiated after Mullenweg cut off WP Engine from updating their plugins, disrupting the proper functioning of thousands of websites.

The FAIR goal of the FAIR project is to decentralize the distribution of WordPress plugins and themes to protect against one person from disrupting the free distribution of software.

FAIR is backed by open source giant Linux, announced in June 2025. The official announcement explained that the purpose of FAIR is to create a “vendor-neutral” method for distributing WordPress software within a trusted environment, writing:

“Vendor-neutral package management for content management systems like WordPress provides critical universal infrastructure that addresses the new realities of content, e-commerce and AI.

The FAIR Package Manager project helps make plugins and tools more discoverable and lets developers choose where to source those plugins depending on the needs of their supply chain. By giving commercial plugin developers, hosts, and application developers more options to control the tools they rely on, the FAIR Package Manager project promotes innovation and protects business continuity.”

What Caused An Issue With FAIR?

A WordPress user recently experienced a temporary problem updating their website using the FAIR repository, forcing them to manually SFTP the software updates to their server.

They posted on X:

“Here I am updating one of my sites for the new year, and it looks like FAIR broke my plugin and theme updates.”

After updating their site they returned to X with more thoughts about their experience with FAIR:

“Glad this was just a “for fun” site and not something critical. I like experimenting with stuff in the WordPress ecosystem, but this is a bit too experimental for my taste. Going back to stock updates, at least until 2.0.

…This is making me rethink how I organize my domains and sites. Should probably just set up a sandbox for things like this, but then again… the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If it’s all locked away in a sandbox, I’ll forget to ever touch it.”

There was an issue with an update to FAIR version 1.2.2. According to the release notes:

“FAIR Connect 1.2.2 Release Announcement

Version 1.2.2 of FAIR Connect is a fast follow up to our version 1.2.1 release. This release fixes a fatal error introduced in 1.2.1 that impacts the updating process.

If you previously updated to 1.2.1, you will need to perform this update manually.”

So apparently there’s an issue with updating the FAIR Connect plugin which requires manually deactivating the FAIR Connect plugin, downloading the updated version of the plugin from the FAIR repository, then manually uploading the plugin from the WordPress admin plugin dashboard (unless the site is unavailable, which necessitates SFTP’ing the updated plugin).

WordPress Trolls The FAIR Project

The official WordPress.org X account posted the following comment about the FAIR project:

“Looks like the Federated and Independent Repository project is going great. This is clearly going to rock the WordPress world. We don’t know how we’ll continue without these contributors. Maybe they need some REST.”

The post was highly unusual for the WordPress X account because it’s normally a feel-good destination of announcements and inspiration related to WordPress. The unprofessional tone of the post caught many in the WordPress community by surprise.

One person shared their disappointment:

“Hi Matt! These comments aren’t clearly going to rock the atmosphere in our community too. So, http://WP.org never had issues?”

RapidLightnings responded:

“These people working at or for WordPress are so childish and unprofessional. Professional people wouldn’t care or would not post stuff like that on official accounts.”

Responses Hidden By WordPress

There were additional responses that were hidden by WordPress:

Like this by o_be_one:

“For an OpenSource project, your take is toxic af.”

Rohan K called the post by the official WordPress account immature:

“Growing pains. Why are you gleefully gloating about this, when your immature and short-sighted actions led the creation of it? It makes you look bad.

Grow up.”

Aron Prins posted a one-word response:

“Ewww”

Thisbit commented on how it reflects poorly on the WordPress leadership:

“Shameful leadership.”

Jono Alderson reflected on the childishness of the tweet:

“Oh hush. Your misuse of this account for sniping is childish and tedious. Be better.”

Other posts were directed at Matt Mullenweg, with this one prematurely dancing on WordPress’s grave:

“SO HAPPY that AI is ending WordPress for good.
Ciao CattyMatty”

And this one:

“I’d say get a clue, but you’d probably steal it from another developer.”

Jono Alderson’s Response

Alderson started a new discussion to express his opinion about the WordPress troll-post:

“I love WordPress-the-software, but this kind of childish nonsense makes me ashamed and embarrassed to be associated with WordPress-the-brand. What childish, petty, unprofessional, shameful, amateur nonsense. All of these people need firing and replacing with capable grown-ups.”

The responses to Jono’s post generally expressed disappointment that the official WordPress account was used for trolling, with one person responding that it seemed crazy.

Featured Image by Shutterstock/AYO Production

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Jan 12 2026
Early AI Signals from Holiday Sales

Traffic from various AI sources to ecommerce shops leapt significantly during the 2025 Christmas season, yet still accounted for a tiny share of actual, direct visits.

Adobe reported a record $257.8 billion in U.S. 2025 online sales from November 1 through December 31, up 6.8% from 2024. The data reflects U.S. merchants on the Adobe Analytics platform, which excludes Amazon and most smaller sellers.

The report provides many holiday highlights. In 2025 mobile commerce drove more than 50% of online sales during the Christmas shopping season for the first time. Buy-now-pay-later loans hit a milestone, reaching $20 billion in online spending, up 9.9%.

Thus given the overall holiday sales activity, why focus on AI at all? The answer is because AI’s impact will likely be massive. Salesforce, for example, reported that AI influenced 20% of U.S. Christmas retail sales in 2025.

Vivek Pandya, lead analyst at Adobe Digital Insights, stated, “This 2025 holiday season, consumers embraced generative AI more than ever as a shopping assistant in their purchasing decisions.”

Image from Salesforce of a male and female holiday shopper

According to Salesforce, AI influenced 20% of U.S. Christmas retail sales in 2025. Image: Salesforce.

The Caveat

Adobe reported a striking 693% increase in AI-driven holiday traffic to ecommerce sites in 2025. But the report does not provide the baseline volume, AI’s share of total referrals, or AI’s share of total revenue.

That omission matters. Growth off a small baseline can produce dramatic percentages. Adobe itself reported a much larger jump — roughly 1,300% — for AI traffic during the 2024 holiday season.

The takeaway is not that AI drove the 2025 holiday season. It did not. But AI-related shopping is rising quickly enough to warrant attention, even if the raw totals remain small for now.

Zero Click Risk

AI’s direct ecommerce value is difficult to quantify today, but merchants can learn from industries where AI discovery is having an impact.

Consider digital publishing. In September 2025, Penske Media — owner of Rolling Stone, Billboard, Variety, and other outlets — sued Google, arguing that AI Overviews used Penske’s content while reducing click-through traffic and revenue. Penske’s affiliate revenue was allegedly down by more than a third from peak levels. Traffic to its websites had halved.

The case highlights a critical shift: AI-driven discovery does not always result in traffic.

In the traditional search pattern, users click links. In AI search, users often get what they need directly on the results page. It is the same “zero-click” dynamic publishers have dealt with for years. AI answers now amplify this impact.

Ecommerce may be heading in a similar direction. Even if AI referrals remain small, AI systems may increasingly influence purchase decisions without always sending shoppers to a retailer’s website.

AI Traffic

AI-driven store visitors may behave differently from shoppers arriving via traditional channels, and Adobe’s holiday data offers a few early clues.

One notable change is device usage. Some 73.4% of AI referrals came from desktop devices, even as mobile accounted for most overall ecommerce transactions.

At least for now, AI chat interfaces and search tools are often more usable on larger screens. Long-form responses, product comparisons, and multi-step research fit naturally into desktop workflows. Consumers may be comfortable researching with AI on a desktop and completing purchases on mobile.

Category patterns reinforce that behavior. AI referrals were most common in product groups where research and comparison matter, such as electronics, toys, appliances, video games, and personal care. These are not necessarily impulse buys. They benefit from explanation, differentiation, and context, all of which are strengths of AI answer engines.

There is also a reasonable theory that AI-referred shoppers are more qualified. A consumer who clicks after querying an AI assistant may have narrowed her choices. But AI interfaces and ads may alter what answer engines recommend, how they compare products, and which merchants appear.

Essentially, AI traffic patterns are still forming, attribution remains murky, and performance may swing quickly. It is worth monitoring, not overreacting.

What to Do

The Adobe and Salesforce data reinforce what many merchants already sense. Product discovery is changing, and AI may become a bigger part of it. Small-to-midsize merchants can respond without betting the business on speculative numbers.

Use platforms. The single best AI-commerce move for many SMB sellers is to use what their ecommerce platforms provide.

Shopify, for example, announced AI discovery integrations that pass structured product data directly to AI systems and support purchases inside chat and AI commerce experiences.

For merchants, that means AI readiness may increasingly be operational: maintain a “clean” product catalog with accurate attributes and structured product data so platforms can access and distribute it properly.

Use marketplaces. Marketplaces will likely become even more important in an AI-mediated shopping environment.

Amazon, Walmart, and similar marketplaces have the data and the scale to integrate AI shopping assistants. Merchants who sell in these channels can expect AI-powered recommendations to amplify the importance of quality product data, accurate inventory, and positive reviews.

Use ads. Paid acquisition has long been a reliable traffic source for online merchants. The reliance could increase in an AI era, particularly if organic discovery becomes less predictable.

Ads are already appearing in AI chat experiences. Merchants can garner at least some AI-driven recommendations and purchases from paid placements, sponsored suggestions, or marketplace advertising.

Measure carefully. AI discovery adds tracking ambiguity. Merchants should ensure analytics capture as much detail as possible in referral sources, landing page engagement, and conversion paths, even if AI traffic is small.

Keep optimizing. Finally, merchants should not give up on optimization.

The goal is to extend traditional search engine optimization techniques to AI. Setting aside the muddy definitions of SEO, GEO (generative engine optimization), and AEO (answer engine optimization), the desired outcome is the same. When shoppers ask, “Which air fryer is best for a family?” or “What toy is right for a seven-year-old?” the stores that provide the best answers for AI will be more likely to appear in the results.

Strong SEO practices carry over well. Clean product catalogs, accurate attributes, structured data, clear descriptions, and buyer-focused content marketing can help AI answer engines and ecommerce platforms understand a store’s goods.

Optimizing for AI commerce, then, is less about chasing new tactics and more about feeding platforms and AI systems better data.

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Jan 11 2026
Google Announces AI Mode Checkout Protocol, Business Agent via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Google announced tools that let shoppers complete purchases directly within AI Mode and chat with branded AI agents in Search results.

Users can purchase from eligible product listings on Google. Retailers are still the seller of record, while the checkout happens on Google surfaces instead of the retailer’s website.

Universal Commerce Protocol Powers AI Mode Checkout

Google launched the Universal Commerce Protocol, an open standard for what it calls “agentic commerce.” The protocol will power checkout on eligible Google product listings in AI Mode in Search and the Gemini app.

Google developed UCP with Shopify, Etsy, Wayfair, Target, and Walmart. More than 20 additional companies endorsed it, including Adyen, American Express, Best Buy, Mastercard, Stripe, The Home Depot, and Visa.

Shoppers will use Google Pay with payment methods and shipping info from Google Wallet. PayPal support is coming. UCP checkout starts with eligible U.S. retailers, with global expansion planned.

Business Agent Brings Branded Chat To Search

Business Agent lets shoppers chat with brands in Search results. Google describes it as a “virtual sales associate” that can answer product questions in the brand’s voice.

The feature goes live January 12 with Lowe’s, Michael’s, Poshmark, Reebok, and others. Eligible U.S. retailers can activate and customize the agent through Merchant Center.

Google plans to add capabilities for training agents on retailer data, providing product offers, and enabling purchases within the chat experience.

Direct Offers Pilot Tests Ads In AI Mode

Google also announced Direct Offers, a new ad pilot in AI Mode. It allows advertisers to offer exclusive discounts to people searching for products.

Google gave an example of a rug search where relevant retailers could feature a special 20% discount. Retailers set up offers in campaign settings, and Google determines when to display them.

Early partners include Petco, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Samsonite, Rugs USA, and Shopify merchants.

Why This Matters

Checkout in AI Mode means a user searching for a product can research, compare, and buy without ever reaching the retailer’s site.

For ecommerce sites, this changes the traffic equation. The sale still happens, but the site visit may not. Retailers participating in UCP gain access to high-intent buyers at the moment of decision. Those who don’t participate may find their products harder to surface when users expect to complete transactions without leaving Google.

Looking Ahead

Checkout in AI Mode rolls out to eligible U.S. retailers soon. Business Agent launches January 12. Direct Offers is in pilot with select advertisers.

Google said it plans to add new Merchant Center data attributes designed for discovery in AI Mode, Gemini, and Business Agent. The company will roll out the new attributes with a small group of retailers soon before expanding more broadly.

Featured Image: hafakot/Shutterstock

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Jan 10 2026
A new CRISPR startup is betting regulators will ease up on gene-editing

Here at MIT Technology Review we’ve been writing about the gene-editing technology CRISPR since 2013, calling it the biggest biotech breakthrough of the century. Yet so far, there’s been only one gene-editing drug approved. It’s been used commercially on only about 40 patients, all with sickle-cell disease.

It’s becoming clear that the impact of CRISPR isn’t as big as we all hoped. In fact, there’s a pall of discouragement over the entire field—with some journalists saying the gene-editing revolution has “lost its mojo.”

So what will it take for CRISPR to help more people? A new startup says the answer could be an “umbrella approach” to testing and commercializing treatments. Aurora Therapeutics, which has $16 million from Menlo Ventures and counts CRISPR co-inventor Jennifer Doudna as an advisor, essentially hopes to win approval for gene-editing drugs that can be slightly adjusted, or personalized, without requiring costly new trials or approvals for every new version.

The need to change regulations around gene-editing treatments was endorsed in November by the head of the US Food and Drug Administration, Martin Makary, who said the agency would open a “new” regulatory pathway for “bespoke, personalized therapies” that can’t easily be tested in conventional ways. 

Aurora’s first target, the rare inherited disease phenylketonuria, also known as PKU, is a case in point. People with PKU lack a working version of an enzyme needed to use up the amino acid phenylalanine, a component of pretty much all meat and protein. If the amino acid builds up, it causes brain damage. So patients usually go on an onerous “diet for life” of special formula drinks and vegetables.

In theory, gene editing can fix PKU. In mice, scientists have already restored the gene for the enzyme by rewriting DNA in liver cells, which both make the enzyme and are some of the easiest to reach with a gene-editing drug. The problem is that in human patients, many different mutations can affect the critical gene. According to Cory Harding, a researcher at Oregon Health Sciences University, scientists know about 1,600 different DNA mutations that cause PKU.

There’s no way anyone will develop 1,600 different gene-editing drugs. Instead, Aurora’s goal is to eventually win approval for a single gene editor that, with minor adjustments, could be used to correct several of the most common mutations, including one that’s responsible for about 10% of the estimated 20,000 PKU cases in the US.

“We can’t have a separate clinical trial for each mutation,” says Edward Kaye, the CEO of Aurora. “The way the FDA approves gene editing has to change, and I think they’ve been very understanding that is the case.”

A gene editor is a special protein that can zero in on a specific location in the genome and change it. To prepare one, Aurora will put genetic code for the editor into a nanoparticle along with a targeting molecule. In total, it will involve about 5,000 gene letters. But only 20 of them need to change in order to redirect the treatment to repair a different mutation.

“Over 99% of the drug stays the same,” says Johnny Hu, a partner at Menlo Ventures, which put up the funding for the startup.

The new company came together after Hu met over pizza with Fyodor Urnov, an outspoken gene-editing scientist at the University of California, Berkeley, who is Aurora’s cofounder and sits on its board.

In 2022, Urnov had written a New York Times editorial bemoaning the “chasm” between what editing technology can do and the “legal, financial, and organizational” realities preventing researchers from curing people.

“I went to Fyodor and said, ‘Hey, we’re getting all these great results in the clinic with CRISPR, but why hasn’t it scaled?” says Hu. Part of the reason is that most gene-editing companies are chasing the same few conditions, such as sickle-cell, where (as luck would have it) a single edit works for all patients. But that leaves around 400 million people who have 7,000 other inherited conditions without much hope to get their DNA fixed, Urnov estimated in his editorial.

Then, last May, came the dramatic demonstration of the first fully “personalized” gene-editing treatment. A team in Philadelphia, assisted by Urnov and others, succeeded in correcting the DNA of a baby, named KJ Muldoon, who had an entirely unique mutation that caused a metabolic disease. Though it didn’t target PKU, the project showed that gene editing could theoretically fix some inherited diseases “on demand.” 

It also underscored a big problem. Treating a single child required a large team and cost millions in time, effort, and materials—all to create a drug that would never be used again. 

That’s exactly the sort of situation the new “umbrella” trials are supposed to address. Kiran Musunuru, who co-led the team at the University of Pennsylvania, says he’s been in discussions with the FDA to open a study of bespoke gene editors this year focusing on diseases of the type Baby KJ had, called urea cycle disorders. Each time a new patient appears, he says, they’ll try to quickly put together a variant of their gene-editing drug that’s tuned to fix that child’s particular genetic problem.

Musunuru, who isn’t involved with Aurora, does not think the company’s plans for PKU count as fully personalized editors. “These corporate PKU efforts have nothing whatsoever to do with Baby KJ,” he says. He says his center continues to focus on mutations “so ultra-rare that we don’t see any scenario where a for-profit gene-editing company would find that indication to be commercially viable.”

Instead, what’s occurring in PKU, says Musunuru, is that researchers have realized they can assemble “a bunch” of the most frequent mutations “into a large enough group of patients to make a platform PKU therapy commercially viable.” 

While that would still leave out many patients with extra-rare gene errors, Musunuru says any gene-editing treatment at all would still be “a big improvement over the status quo, which  is zero genetic therapies for PKU.”

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Jan 10 2026
The Download: the case for AI slop, and helping CRISPR fulfill its promise

This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.

How I learned to stop worrying and love AI slop

—Caiwei Chen

If I were to locate the moment AI slop broke through into popular consciousness, I’d pick the video of rabbits bouncing on a trampoline that went viral last summer. For many savvy internet users, myself included, it was the first time we were fooled by an AI video, and it ended up spawning a wave of almost identical generated clips.

My first reaction was that, broadly speaking, all of this sucked. That’s become a familiar refrain, in think pieces and at dinner parties. Everything online is slop now—the internet “enshittified,” with AI taking much of the blame. Initially, I largely agreed. But then friends started sharing AI clips in group chats that were compellingly weird, or funny. Some even had a grain of brilliance. 

I had to admit I didn’t fully understand what I was rejecting—what I found so objectionable. To try to get to the bottom of how I felt (and why), I spoke to the people making the videos, a company creating bespoke tools for creators, and experts who study how new media becomes culture. What I found convinced me that maybe generative AI will not end up ruining everything after all. Read the full story.

A new CRISPR startup is betting regulators will ease up on gene-editing

Here at MIT Technology Review we’ve been writing about the gene-editing technology CRISPR since 2013, calling it the biggest biotech breakthrough of the century. Yet so far, there’s been only one gene-editing drug approved, and it’s been used commercially on only about 40 patients, all with sickle-cell disease.

It’s becoming clear that the impact of CRISPR isn’t as big as we all hoped. In fact, there’s a pall of discouragement over the entire field—with some journalists saying the gene-editing revolution has “lost its mojo.”

So what will it take for CRISPR to help more people? A new startup says the answer could be an “umbrella approach” to testing and commercializing treatments which could avoid costly new trials or approvals for every new version. Read the full story.

—Antonio Regalado

America’s new dietary guidelines ignore decades of scientific research

The first days of 2026 have brought big news for health. On Wednesday, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his colleagues at the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture unveiled new dietary guidelines for Americans. And they are causing a bit of a stir.

That’s partly because they recommend products like red meat, butter, and beef tallow—foods that have been linked to cardiovascular disease, and that nutrition experts have been recommending people limit in their diets.

These guidelines are a big deal—they influence food assistance programs and school lunches, for example. Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly advice being dished up to Americans by their government.

—Jessica Hamzelou

This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Grok has switched off its image-generating function for most users
Following a global backlash to its sexualized pictures of women and children. (The Guardian)
+ Elon Musk has previously lamented the “guardrails” around the chatbot. (CNN)
+ XAI has been burning through cash lately. (Bloomberg $)

2 Online sleuths tried to use AI to unmask the ICE agent who killed a woman
The problem is, its results are far from reliable. (WP $)
+ The Trump administration is pushing videos of the incident filmed from a specific angle. (The Verge)
+ Minneapolis is struggling to make sense of the shooting of Renee Nicole Good. (WSJ $)

3 Smartphones and PCs are about to get more expensive
You can thank the memory chip shortage sparked by the AI data center boom. (FT $)
+ Expect delays alongside those price rises, too. (Economist $)

4 NASA is bringing four of the seven ISS crew members back to Earth
It’s not clear exactly why, but it said one of them experienced a “medical situation” earlier this week. (Ars Technica)

5 The vast majority of humanoid robots shipped last year were from China
The country is dominating early supply for the bipedal machines. (Bloomberg $)
+ Why a Chinese robot vacuum firm is moving into EVs. (Wired $)
+ China’s EV giants are betting big on humanoid robots. (MIT Technology Review)

6 New Jersey has banned students’ phones in schools
It’s the latest in a long line of states to restrict devices during school hours. (NYT $)

7 Are AI coding assistants getting worse?
This data scientist certainly seems to think so. (IEEE Spectrum)
+ AI coding is now everywhere. But not everyone is convinced. (MIT Technology Review)

8 How to save wine from wildfires 🍇
Smoke leaves the alcohol with an ashy taste, but a group of scientists are working on a solution. (New Yorker $)

9 Celebrity Letterboxd accounts are good fun
Unsurprisingly, a subset of web users have chosen to hound them. (NY Mag $)

10 Craigslist refuses to die
The old-school classifieds corner of the web still has a legion of diehard fans. (Wired $)

Quote of the day

“Tools like Grok now risk bringing sexual AI imagery of children into the mainstream. The harms are rippling out.”

—Ngaire Alexander, head of the Internet Watch Foundation’s reporting hotline, explains the dangers around low-moderation AI tools like Grok to the Wall Street Journal.

One more thing

How to measure the returns on R&D spending

Given the draconian cuts to US federal funding for science, it’s worth asking some hard-nosed money questions: How much should we be spending on R&D? How much value do we get out of such investments, anyway?

To answer that, in several recent papers, economists have approached this issue in clever new ways.  And, though they ask slightly different questions, their conclusions share a bottom line: R&D is, in fact, one of the better long-term investments that the government can make. Read the full story.

—David Rotman

We can still have nice things

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or skeet ’em at me.)

+ Bruno Mars is back, baby!
+ Hmm, interesting: Apple’s new Widow’s Bay show is inspired by both Stephen King and Donald Glover, which is an intriguing combination.
+ Give this man control of the new Lego AI bricks!
+ An iron age war trumpet recently uncovered in Britain is the most complete example discovered anywhere in the world.

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Jan 10 2026
Ecommerce Success with Fractional Talent

In his previous appearance on the podcast, in November 2022, Jai Dolwani was the CMO of a wine subscription company that would shortly declare bankruptcy. It was his third struggling startup, he says, prompting “serious self-reflection.”

The result? He pivoted to entrepreneurship and launched The Starters, a marketplace for fractional ecommerce talent, in late 2023. The company has thrived, having attracted more than 600 freelancers and 500 client brands.

In our recent conversation, Jai addressed the demand for ecommerce talent, tips for hiring freelancers, and plans for 2026 and beyond.

Our entire audio is embedded below. The transcript is edited for length and clarity.

Eric Bandholz: Tell us what you do.

Jai Dolwani: I’m the founder of The Starters, a company that helps ecommerce brands access top-tier fractional talent through a curated, vetted marketplace. We connect brands with experienced marketers, creatives, and technologists — professionals who’ve helped build some of the world’s best companies — so they can hire flexibly and efficiently.

Before that, I was CMO at Winc, a wine subscription company. We had recently gone public, but behind the scenes, the business struggled. A few weeks after my last conversation with you, Winc declared bankruptcy and was later acquired. I was offered a role, but it marked my third startup in a row to fail financially, prompting some serious self-reflection.

I questioned whether it was bad luck or my own shortcomings. Ultimately, I decided I needed full ownership of outcomes and became an entrepreneur. I bootstrapped the business with a $5,000 personal investment, and it’s grown steadily since. My mission now is twofold: help freelancers find meaningful, flexible work and help ecommerce brands build lean, efficient, and profitable organizations.

Bandholz: You’re building a two-sided marketplace. How did you attract talent early and create traction?

Dolwani: From day one, my philosophy was to attract the best talent first, and brands will follow. Brands are always on the hunt for top talent. To do that, we built what I believe is the most talent-friendly marketplace in the industry.

We don’t charge freelancers a commission. Unlike platforms such as Upwork or Fiverr, 100% of what freelancers bill goes directly to them. We offer private profiles. Many top performers already have jobs and don’t want a public marketplace profile visible to employers, so access is limited to vetted brands. We also avoid the race to the bottom. Most marketplaces become transactional and price-driven, with median rates of $10 to $15 per hour. We stay highly curated and vetted, focusing on strategic fit over cost.

As a result, talent on our platform competes on expertise, not price. The median rate is about $90 per hour, reflecting quality and outcomes. We’ve attracted executives from nine-figure companies and world-class specialists who would never join typical freelance platforms.

Early on, it was hard — sourcing and onboarding the first freelancers myself. Over time, strong experiences generated word-of-mouth from freelancers and brands.

Bandholz: If talent keeps 100%, how does your business make money?

Dolwani: We monetize exclusively on the brand side. Brands pay $295 per month to access the platform and hire talent through us. We charge the fee upfront, before they can view or contact freelancers, which ensures high intent. If a brand isn’t satisfied or we can’t meet its needs, we refund the fee.

This model is simple and fair. We’re not trying to build a billion-dollar, venture-backed company. We’re bootstrapped, and the pricing reflects the value we provide while allowing freelancers to keep 100% of their rates.

Payments to freelancers go through Stripe. We never touch that money — funds move directly from the brand to the freelancer. We orchestrate the experience and facilitate the connection, while the working relationship remains direct.

Most of our clients are ecommerce brands earning $1–10 million that need support but aren’t ready for full-time hires, though we also help pre-launch and nine-figure companies.

Bandholz: How do brands work with talent on your platform, and what types of expertise can they access?

Dolwani: Engagements are flexible and depend on what the brand and freelancer agree on, but I recommend a clear progression. Start with a small, capped hourly trial — around five hours — to evaluate quality. If the work doesn’t impress you immediately, it likely won’t improve. After that, work together for one to two months on an hourly basis, with a cap, to understand the output, speed, and communication.

Once expectations are clear and things are working well, shifting to a monthly retainer makes sense. Retainers reduce time tracking and keep everyone focused on outcomes rather than hours.

We now have just over 600 vetted professionals on the platform. Our core strengths are marketing, creative, and technology — everything from media buyers and fractional CMOs to designers, creative directors, Shopify developers, and heads of data and analytics. We’ve recently expanded into operations, product development, supply chain, finance, and retail expansion for consumer package brands, with more growth planned for 2026.

We’ve succeeded at our initial goal of helping ecommerce brands access better fractional talent than they’d find elsewhere. But the world is changing. As AI reduces the need for human execution, the value shifts away from task completion toward specialized knowledge and better decision-making.

Companies will win because they have deeper human insight guiding strategy. That’s where I see us going. Beyond a freelancer marketplace, we’re building a home for ecommerce expertise.

That means making knowledge accessible through courses, guides, webinars, live Q&As, consulting calls, and ongoing advisory relationships — hiring being just one option. Long-term, we hope The Starters becomes a destination for ecommerce brands to build their “human advantage” to create differentiated strategies and win.

Bandholz: Where can people follow you? Hire some freelancers?

Dolwani: Our site is Hirethestarters.com. I’m on X and LinkedIn.

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments
Jan 9 2026
Paid Media Marketing: 8 Changes Marketers Should Make In 2026 via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Paid media didn’t slow down last year. If anything, the platforms made sure we stayed busy.

Google rolled out more AI-assisted ad creation features, new Performance Max reporting updates, and continued refining how AI-influenced results shape visibility across search.

Microsoft pushed forward with its own set of AI tools inside Ads and Copilot, along with quality updates that changed how some advertisers measure performance. Meta expanded Advantage+ capabilities and tightened its recommendations for creative structure.

We also saw strong momentum from platforms that used to sit on the sidelines. TikTok introduced more search-focused ad placements. Reddit continued improving its targeting and creative tools.

Privacy shifts kept moving as well. Targeting options continued evolving, and some long-standing measurement assumptions started to feel less reliable. Marketers had to adjust how they test, track, and validate results across every channel.

As we head into 2026, the message is familiar but still true. You can’t always rely on what worked a year ago, and you can’t assume the platforms will keep things the same. This list focuses on the changes that matter most right now. These are practical adjustments that help teams stay competitive without rebuilding everything from scratch.

Let’s walk through the strategies worth prioritizing this year and why they deserve your attention.

1. Embrace The Shift To Conversational AI In Ad Creation

Conversational AI tools like Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Copilot enable ad creation and optimization in a more fluid, interactive way.

They’re becoming essential for marketers who want to scale ad variations without exhausting creative resources.

If you’re looking to test and scale how this can work for you, start small with AI-generated ad copy tests. Use the conversational AI tools within the Google Ads platform to create a few new ad variations that differ from your standard copy.

For instance, if your current ads are heavily CTA-focused, let the AI suggest more storytelling or benefits-driven language and test these versions in a limited campaign to gauge performance.

Another tip is to start experimenting with ad personalization at scale. AI tools allow you to input audience insights, such as location or interests, to create tailored ad variations.

Create segmented ads that appeal to different demographics or psychographics and use split testing to identify which approach resonates best.

Lastly, whenever you’re using AI-generated content, make sure to set aside time to review those suggestions monthly. Take note of recurring suggestions that could highlight hidden opportunities or adjustments you may not have initially considered.

2. Refine Ad Targeting With Data Privacy In Mind

With the unreliability of third-party cookies, the upcoming year marks the need for refined targeting strategies that balance effectiveness with privacy.

Tools like Google’s enhanced privacy features and Microsoft’s predictive audience segmentation help ensure you’re reaching the right users in a compliant way.

Now’s the time to develop a robust first-party data strategy. Start by auditing your first-party data to identify gaps and potential sources for future data.

You can also utilize your customer relationship management (CRM) tools and website data collection to capture behavior-based insights and create audience segments you own.

Additionally, because both Google and Microsoft allow Customer Match solutions, it’s a great time to review those policies.

Use tools like cookie consent managers and transparency banners to build trust and ensure you’re gathering data responsibly. If you don’t, you’re at risk of not being able to use first-party data solutions by the ad platforms.

When creating a consent-based tracking strategy, it’s also a good idea to proactively share with users how you use their data and offer clear opt-out options. Transparency is key in this two-way buyer and seller relationship journey.

3. Optimize For AI-Driven Search Ad Placements

AI-generated search summaries, especially in Google’s AI Overviews, are creating new ad placements and impacting traditional ad performance. This trend requires close monitoring and proactive adjustments to stay competitive.

As these new ad placements continue to roll out, here are a few tips to make sure your PPC ads are optimized for this new wave of AI content.

  • Monitor CTRs On AI-Influenced Placements: Start tracking the click-through rates of ads appearing in AI-generated results versus traditional SERPs. This insight can help you understand whether AI-generated placements impact user engagement and identify areas for improvement.
  • Create Specialized Assets For AI Overviews: Use images, headlines, and descriptions designed for short attention spans. For instance, include a compelling image and a clear, concise CTA in your ad to boost appeal in this new placement.
  • Review Performance Max Insights Regularly: Google’s Performance Max campaigns, which include AI-driven placements, provide insights into what combinations work best across channels. Use this data to refine ads in other campaigns where similar placements are available.

4. Lean Into Multi-Channel Campaign Integration

With consumers using multiple platforms interchangeably, paid media strategies must embrace an integrated, omni-channel approach.

Platforms like TikTok and Reddit have built out more robust ad offerings, providing marketers with more cross-platform synergy.

Start by mapping out a cross-platform customer journey. Outline your audience’s touchpoints across different platforms.

For instance, if your customer typically discovers products on TikTok but purchases through Google Shopping, ensure you’re present and active on both channels with consistent messaging.

Another item to keep in mind is utilizing platform-specific metrics to refine your strategy.

Each platform has unique engagement metrics. For example, on TikTok, you can monitor completion rates and engagement (likes, comments) to assess content effectiveness.

LinkedIn, on the other hand, is a place to focus on connection and message response rates.

Tailor your content based on what performs best on each channel. Each channel should have a different content strategy, not just putting the same ads across all platforms, hoping that one of them will click with a user.

5. Optimize Creative Customization With AI Image Editing

AI-powered image editing allows for rapid customization across visuals, which is critical for multi-audience campaigns.

Canva’s integration with Google Workspace and Microsoft’s AI image generator simplifies the creative process, enabling customization without extensive design resources.

To make the most of these AI editors and integrations, start with creating templates for faster customization.

Design or download templates on Canva that match your brand guidelines, making it easy to adjust colors, fonts, and messages for different audiences with minimal effort.

The templates can help you maintain visual consistency while catering to different segments.

To take it up a notch, try running A/B tests on custom visuals. Create two or more variations of AI-edited images to test different elements.

When testing creative, make sure to test differences that are noticeable enough. Track which visual styles drive the most engagement, and use those insights to guide future designs.

If you’re targeting multiple locations in your ads, use AI tools to adjust visuals for regional appeal.

For example, if you’re running an ad in New York and California, you can use AI to create images that feature landmarks or seasonal elements relevant to each location.

6. Enhance Attribution Tracking And Adjust KPIs Accordingly

A multi-device world demands better attribution tracking to understand the entire customer journey.

Google’s Enhanced Conversions and Microsoft’s Customer Insights provide more reliable data across touchpoints, helping marketers adjust KPIs to reflect complex engagement patterns.

To start, review enhanced conversions for first-party tracking to determine if this makes sense for your account.

Enhanced Conversions capture data from form fills or purchases to match offline actions back to Google Ads. When setting this up, make sure your campaigns reflect actual conversions, not just clicks, allowing for more accurate reporting.

Additionally, if you’re still using Last Click attribution models, you will be left in the dust.

It’s time to move beyond last-click attribution to track the impact of each customer touchpoint. You can use Google Analytics or Microsoft’s attribution reports to assess the role of each ad in a customer’s journey, and allocate credit accordingly.

Lastly, when it comes to measurement, it’s time to evolve your key performance indicators (KPIs). Not every channel in your marketing mix should be measured by direct purchases.

Just last year, in North America, the average person owned 13 devices – a 63% increase from 2018.

Users leverage multiple devices during their purchase journey, accounting for more visits but fewer conversions. No wonder conversion rates are decreasing!

For example, if you’re running a brand awareness campaign on TikTok for an audience who’s never heard of you, your KPIs should not be measuring purchases.

Track meaningful metrics like engagement rates, increase in branded search queries, or time on site to understand how those platforms contribute to long-term brand growth and loyalty.

7. Make Influencers Part Of Your Marketing Model

Influencer marketing still has value. But the rules have changed. What used to feel like a side bet now needs to operate with the same discipline you apply to any other channel.

One of the biggest shifts in 2025 was the rollout of Creator Partnerships inside Google Ads. The new tool lets brands find YouTube creators who already mention or align with their products, request to link their content directly in Ads, and then promote that content as ad assets.

That matters because it addresses many of the traditional challenges of influencer marketing.

Brands no longer have to manage a separate workflow or use external tools to run creator campaigns. Everything can be done natively inside Google Ads. Finding creators, getting permission, promoting videos, building remarketing audiences, and tracking performance – it all happens in the same place as your other media.

This integration changes what influencer marketing should be. Instead of treating creator content as a loose “boost,” treat it as another media channel that you plan, test, track, and optimize.

When you find a creator whose audience overlaps yours, link their video, promote it via “Partnership Ads,” and compare performance against other video or display placements. Use the same ROI expectations, the same reporting discipline, the same budget scrutiny.

That does not mean every influencer partnership needs to run through Creator Partnerships. But for brands that want to take creator content seriously, this is now the clearest path forward.

Influencer marketing can still introduce your brand to new audiences, but only if it becomes part of a broader, data-driven media mix rather than a side experiment.

8. Invest In Brand-Owned And Emerging Media Channels

Paid platforms can shift without much warning, which is why brands need more stability built into their mix. That stability comes from channels you control and channels that offer predictable reach without relying entirely on algorithm changes.

Brand-owned channels like email, SMS, and your CRM audience lists continue to grow in value as privacy rules tighten. These channels help you stay connected with people who have already shown interest, and they support every other part of your media strategy. When your first-party data is strong, your targeting improves across search, social, and display.

At the same time, emerging media channels are becoming easier to test and measure.

Connected TV, podcasts, retail media networks, and social commerce have grown into meaningful sources of reach and intent. Many brands are now seeing that a small, well-planned investment in these channels helps lift branded search, engagement rates, and assisted conversions across their entire account.

You do not need to adopt every new channel. You only need to choose a few that match your audience and test them with clear goals.

Look for indicators like uplift in search demand, stronger remarketing pools, or improvements in cross-channel efficiency. When these channels support your paid campaigns, they earn a long-term place in your strategy.

The brands that put effort into these areas now will be less dependent on any single platform. They will also see more consistent performance as auctions change, costs fluctuate, and targeting evolves throughout the year.

Your 2026 Plan Should Be Evolving

Paid media will keep shifting this year, but the path forward does not need to feel overwhelming.

The changes outlined above reflect what marketers are running into every day across search, social, retail media, and emerging channels.

None of these updates requires a complete rebuild. They simply call for a more intentional approach to testing, measurement, creative, and channel mix.

The advertisers who stay close to the data, spend time understanding how each platform is evolving, and make steady adjustments will see the most consistent results. The year ahead is less about chasing every new feature and more about choosing the changes that actually strengthen performance.

If you focus on the areas that matter, you’ll be in a strong position to keep improving your campaigns as the platforms continue to evolve.

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Featured Image: Anton Vierietin/Shutterstock

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Jan 9 2026
SEO Pulse: Core Update Favors Niche Expertise, AIO Health Inaccuracies & AI Slop via @sejournal, @MattGSouthern

Welcome to this week’s Pulse: updates on rankings from December’s core update, platform responses to AI quality issues, and disputes that reveal tensions in AI-generated health information.

Early analysis of Google’s December core update suggests specialized sites gained visibility in several shared examples. Microsoft and Google executives reframed criticism of AI quality. The Guardian reported concerns about health-related AI Overviews, and Google pushed back on aspects of the testing.

Here’s what matters for you and your work.

December Core Update Favors Specialists Over Generalists

Early analysis of Google’s December core update suggests specialized sites gained visibility in examples shared across publishing, ecommerce, and SaaS.

Key facts: Aleyda Solís’s analysis found sites with narrower, category-specific strength appear to be gaining ground on “best of” and mid-funnel product terms.

Some publisher sites appeared to lose visibility on broader, top-of-funnel queries in examples shared after the rollout. In examples shared after the December 11-29 rollout, ecommerce and SaaS brands with direct category expertise appeared to outperform broader review sites and affiliate aggregators.

Why SEOs Should Pay Attention

This update highlights a trend where generalist sites face ranking pressure, especially on queries with commercial intent or specific domain knowledge. Sites covering multiple categories are affected by competition from dedicated category sites.

Google says improvements can take time to show up. Some changes can take effect in a few days, but it can take several months for its systems to confirm longer-term improvement. Google also says it makes smaller, unannounced core updates that it doesn’t typically announce.

In the examples shared so far, specialization appears to outperform breadth when queries have specific intent.

What SEO Professionals Are Saying

Luke R., founder at Adexa.io, commented on LinkedIn:

“Specialists rise when search stops guessing and starts serving intent. These shifts reward brands that live one problem, one buyer.”

AYESHA ASIF, social media manager and content strategist, wrote:

“Generalist pages used to win on authority, but now depth matters more than domain size.”

Thanos Lappas, founder at Datafunc, added:

“This feels like the beginning of a long-anticipated transition in how search evaluates relevance and expertise.”

In that thread, several commenters argued the update favors deep, category-specific content over broad coverage. Several commenters suggested domain authority mattered less than focused expertise in the examples being discussed.

Read our full coverage: December Core Update: More Brands Win “Best Of” Queries

Guardian Investigation Claims AI Overview Health Inaccuracies

The Guardian reported that health organizations and experts reviewed examples of AI Overviews for medical queries and raised concerns about inaccuracies. A Google spokesperson said many examples were “incomplete screenshots.” The spokesperson also said the vast majority of AI Overviews are factual and helpful, and that Google continuously makes quality improvements.

Key facts: The Guardian said it tested health queries and shared AI Overview responses with health groups and experts for review. A Google spokesperson said many examples were “incomplete screenshots,” but added that the results linked “to well-known, reputable sources” and recommended seeking out expert advice.

Why SEOs Should Pay Attention

AI Overviews can appear at the top of results. When the topic is health, errors carry more weight. The Guardian’s reporting also highlights a practical problem. One charity leader told The Guardian the AI summary changed when repeating the same search, pulling from different sources. That can make verification harder.

Publishers have spent years investing in documented medical expertise to meet Google’s expectations around health content. This investigation puts the same spotlight on Google’s own summaries when they appear at the top of results.

What Health Organizations Are Saying

Sophie Randall, director of the Patient Information Forum, told The Guardian:

 “Google’s AI Overviews can put inaccurate health information at the top of online searches, presenting a risk to people’s health”

Anna Jewell, director of support, research, and influencing at Pancreatic Cancer UK, stated:

“If someone followed what the search result told them, they might not take in enough calories … and be unable to tolerate either chemotherapy or potentially life-saving surgery.”

The reactions reveal two concerns. First, that even when AI Overviews link to trusted sources, the summary itself can override that trust by presenting confident but incorrect guidance. Second, some reactions framed Google’s response as addressing individual examples without explaining how these errors happen or how often they occur.

Read our full coverage: Guardian Investigation: AI Overviews Health Accuracy

Microsoft CEO And Google Engineer Reframe AI Quality Criticism

Within one week, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella published a blog post asking the industry to “get beyond the arguments of slop vs. sophistication,” while Google Principal Engineer Jaana Dogan posted that people are “only anti new tech when they are burned out from trying new tech.”

Key facts: Nadella’s blog post characterized AI as “cognitive amplifier tools” and called for “a new equilibrium” that accounts for humans having these tools. Dogan’s X post framed anti-AI sentiment as burnout from trying new technology. In replies, some people pointed to forced integrations, costs, privacy concerns, and tools that feel less reliable in day-to-day workflows. The timing follows Merriam-Webster naming “slop” its 2025 Word of the Year.

Why SEOs Should Pay Attention

Some readers may interpret these statements as an attempt to move the conversation away from output quality and toward user expectations. When people are urged to move past “slop vs. sophistication” or describe criticism as burnout, the conversation can drift away from accuracy, reliability, and the economic impact on publishers.

The practical concern is how these companies respond to user feedback versus how they frame criticism. Keep an eye out for more messaging that frames AI criticism as a user issue rather than a product- and economics-related one.

What Industry Observers Are Saying

Jez Corden, managing editor at Windows Central, wrote that Nadella’s framing of AI as a “scaffolding for human potential” felt “either naively utopic, or at worse, wilfully dishonest.”

Tom Warren, senior editor at The Verge, wrote on Bluesky that Nadella wants everyone to move beyond the arguments about AI slop, calling 2026 a “pivotal year for AI.”

The commentary reveals a gap between executive messaging about AI as a transformative technology and the user experience of AI products, which feels inconsistent or forced. Some reactions suggested the request drew more attention to the term.

Read our full coverage: Microsoft CEO, Google Engineer Deflect AI Quality Complaints

Theme Of The Week: Competing Standards

Each story this week reveals a tension between the quality standards applied to publishers and those applied to platforms’ own AI systems.

The December core update appears to put more weight on category expertise than broad coverage in the examples highlighted. The Guardian investigation questions whether AI Overviews meet the accuracy bar Google sets for health content. The Nadella messaging attempts to reframe quality concerns as user adjustment problems rather than product issues.

The week highlights a tension between the standards applied to websites and the way platforms defend their own AI summaries when accuracy is questioned.

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Featured Image: Accogliente Design/Shutterstock

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Jan 9 2026
PPC Pulse: Reddit Max Campaigns, Google Creator & Microsoft Targeting Updates via @sejournal, @brookeosmundson

Welcome to the first PPC Pulse of 2026! In this week’s update, Reddit introduces a new automated campaign type, Google expands its Creator Partnerships beta, and Microsoft announces new data-driven targeting capabilities.

Reddit launched Max Campaigns, an automated campaign format designed to simplify setup and expand reach across its ad inventory.

Google rolled out updates to its Creator Partnerships beta, adding creator search and centralized inquiry management inside Google Ads.

Microsoft announced a new partnership with Publicis Media Exchange and Epsilon, bringing Epsilon audience data directly into the Microsoft Advertising platform.

Read on for more details and why they matter for advertisers.

Reddit Ads Introduces Max Campaigns

Reddit has officially introduced Max Campaigns, its new automated campaign type designed to simplify setup and expand reach across the platform’s inventory.

Max Campaigns automate targeting, bidding, and ad delivery with the goal of driving conversions at scale. Advertisers provide a few core inputs, including budget, creative, and optimization goals, and Reddit’s system handles the rest.

If this sounds familiar, it should. Max Campaigns mirror the broader industry shift toward automation-first buying, similar to Google’s Performance Max or Meta’s Advantage+ formats.

What’s notable is the timing. Reddit has spent the last year improving its ad infrastructure, creative formats, and targeting capabilities. Max Campaigns feel like the next logical step in pushing advertisers toward a more consolidated buying experience.

Why This Matters For Advertisers

For advertisers already testing Reddit, Max Campaigns lower the barrier to scaling spend without building complex campaign structures.

This matters most for teams that have struggled with Reddit’s historically manual setup. Instead of managing multiple ad groups or niche targeting layers, Max Campaigns encourage a broader approach that lets Reddit’s system identify where conversions actually come from.

That said, this is not a “set it and forget it” situation.

Advertisers should expect trade-offs, as with any other automated campaign type.

Automation reduces setup friction, but it also limits visibility and control. Early testers will need to pay close attention to conversion quality, placement mix, and creative fatigue, especially since Reddit’s communities behave very differently from traditional social feeds.

The opportunity here is testing, not wholesale replacement. Max Campaigns make Reddit easier to experiment with, but they still need guardrails, realistic expectations, and clear success metrics.

Google Ads Expands Creator Partnership Beta

Google Ads quietly rolled out meaningful improvements to its Creator Partnerships beta, adding tools that make creator discovery and management far more usable for advertisers.

The update was first spotted by Thomas Eccel on LinkedIn.

Screenshot by author on LinkedIn, January 2026

The first is Creator Search, which allows advertisers to search for creators directly using keywords. This replaces the clunky browsing experience that made creator discovery feel disconnected from actual campaign goals.

Advertisers can now filter creators by:

  • Subscriber Count.
  • Average Views.
  • Location.
  • Preferred contact methods.

The second update is a Management Menu that centralizes creator inquiries. Advertisers can view creator names, statuses, subjects, response deadlines, and contact details in one place.

Why This Matters For Advertisers

Google is clearly positioning creators as a more integrated part of paid media strategy, not just a brand add-on.

For advertisers already running Demand Gen or YouTube campaigns, this update closes a workflow gap. Instead of managing creator outreach in spreadsheets or external tools, Google is pulling creator collaboration closer to the ad platform itself.

This also matters for efficiency. Teams can align creator selection more closely with campaign objectives, audience geography, and performance expectations.

It also signals where Google is headed. Creators remain one of the few formats that consistently earn attention instead of getting lost in a sea of generic ads. Google investing in better creator discovery suggests this channel will play a larger role in future campaign types.

The caveat is program maturity. This is still a beta. Measurement, attribution, and scalability remain open questions. Advertisers should approach this as a testing ground, not a replacement for established creator programs.

Microsoft Announces New Data-Driven Targeting Capabilities

Microsoft Advertising used CES to announce a new collaboration with Publicis Media Exchange and Epsilon that brings Epsilon data directly into the Microsoft Advertising platform.

The initiative, called Third-Party Search (3PS), allows Publicis Media clients to activate Epsilon’s identity and audience data across Microsoft’s search, native, and display inventory.

According to Microsoft, early pilots in the travel vertical showed strong results, including higher return on ad spend (ROAS) and access to net-new audiences that were not previously identifiable through standard in-market targeting.

The announcement reinforces Microsoft’s push toward identity-driven personalization while staying compliant with evolving privacy expectations.

There wasn’t detail provided about what specific audience types or how advertisers can use these audiences in the platform, but I’m sure more detail will follow in the coming weeks or months.

Why This Matters For Advertisers

This update highlights Microsoft’s long-term strategy: differentiated data partnerships instead of pure scale competition with Google.

For large advertisers and agencies with access to Epsilon data, this unlocks more precise audience activation without relying solely on keyword intent. That’s especially valuable in verticals like travel, finance, and retail, where user intent is fragmented across devices and touchpoints.

It also reflects a broader shift away from traditional in-market audiences. As privacy constraints tighten, platforms are leaning on richer identity frameworks and curated data partnerships to maintain performance.

For advertisers not working with Publicis or Epsilon, this announcement still matters. It signals where Microsoft is investing and how future audience solutions may evolve.

Expect more emphasis on data interoperability, identity resolution, and partnerships that sit outside standard platform-owned audiences.

Theme Of The Week: Platforms Are Simplifying Entry, Not Strategy

This week’s updates all lower the barrier to getting started, but none of them remove the need for thoughtful decision-making.

Reddit’s Max Campaigns make it easier to launch and scale without building complex structures, but advertisers still have to define success, monitor conversion quality, and decide when broader delivery is actually working.

Google’s Creator Partnerships updates streamline discovery and outreach, but they do not solve measurement, creative fit, or long-term performance questions.

Microsoft’s data collaboration expands access to richer audiences, yet advertisers still need a clear plan for how those audiences fit into their overall targeting approach.

The common thread is access, not automation as a substitute for judgment.

As setup gets easier, the real differentiator becomes how clearly advertisers define what they want these systems to achieve, and how disciplined they are about evaluating results.

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Featured Image: beast01/Shutterstock

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Jan 9 2026
What new legal challenges mean for the future of US offshore wind

For offshore wind power in the US, the new year is bringing new legal battles.

On December 22, the Trump administration announced it would pause the leases of five wind farms currently under construction off the US East Coast. Developers were ordered to stop work immediately.

The cited reason? National security, specifically concerns that turbines can cause radar interference. But that’s a known issue, and developers have worked with the government to deal with it for years.

Companies have been quick to file lawsuits, and the court battles could begin as soon as this week. Here’s what the latest kerfuffle might mean for the struggling offshore wind industry in the US.

This pause affects $25 billion in investment in five wind farms: Vineyard Wind 1 off Massachusetts, Revolution Wind off Rhode Island, Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind off New York, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind off Virginia. Together, those projects had been expected to create 10,000 jobs and power more than 2.5 million homes and businesses.

In a statement announcing the move, the Department of the Interior said that “recently completed classified reports” revealed national security risks, and that the pause would give the government time to work through concerns with developers. The statement specifically says that turbines can create radar interference (more on the technical details here in a moment).

Three of the companies involved have already filed lawsuits, and they’re seeking preliminary injunctions that would allow construction to continue. Orsted and Equinor (the developers for Revolution Wind and Empire Wind, respectively) told the New York Times that their projects went through lengthy federal reviews, which did address concerns about national security.

This is just the latest salvo from the Trump administration against offshore wind. On Trump’s first day in office, he signed an executive order stopping all new lease approvals for offshore wind farms. (That order was struck down by a judge in December.)

The administration previously ordered Revolution Wind to stop work last year, also citing national security concerns. A federal judge lifted the stop-work order weeks later, after the developer showed that the financial stakes were high, and that government agencies had previously found no national security issues with the project.

There are real challenges that wind farms introduce for radar systems, which are used in everything from air traffic control to weather forecasting to national defense operations. A wind turbine’s spinning can create complex signatures on radar, resulting in so-called clutter.

Previous government reports, including one 2024 report from the Department of Energy and a 2025 report from the Government Accountability Office (an independent government watchdog), have pointed out this issue in the past.

“To date, no mitigation technology has been able to fully restore the technical performance of impacted radars,” as the DOE report puts it. However, there are techniques that can help, including software that acts to remove the signatures of wind turbines. (Think of this as similar to how noise-canceling headphones work, but more complicated, as one expert told TechCrunch.)

But the most widespread and helpful tactic, according to the DOE report, is collaboration between developers and the government. By working together to site and design wind farms strategically, the groups can ensure that the projects don’t interfere with government or military operations. The 2025 GAO report found that government officials, researchers, and offshore wind companies were collaborating effectively, and any concerns could be raised and addressed in the permitting process.

This and other challenges threaten an industry that could be a major boon for the grid. On the East Coast where these projects are located, and in New England specifically, winter can bring tight supplies of fossil fuels and spiking prices because of high demand. It just so happens that offshore winds blow strongest in the winter, so new projects, including the five wrapped up in this fight, could be a major help during the grid’s greatest time of need.

One 2025 study found that if 3.5 gigawatts’ worth of offshore wind had been operational during the 2024-2025 winter, it would have lowered energy prices by 11%. (That’s the combined capacity of Revolution Wind and Vineyard Wind, two of the paused projects, plus two future projects in the pipeline.) Ratepayers would have saved $400 million.

Before Donald Trump was elected, the energy consultancy BloombergNEF projected that the US would build 39 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Today, that expectation has dropped to just 6 gigawatts. These legal battles could push it lower still.

What’s hardest to wrap my head around is that some of the projects being challenged are nearly finished. The developers of Revolution Wind have installed all the foundations and 58 of 65 turbines, and they say the project is over 87% complete. Empire Wind is over 60% done and is slated to deliver electricity to the grid next year.

To hit the pause button so close to the finish line is chilling, not just for current projects but for future offshore wind efforts in the US. Even if these legal battles clear up and more developers can technically enter the queue, why would they want to? Billions of dollars are at stake, and if there’s one word to describe the current state of the offshore wind industry in the US, it’s “unpredictable.”

This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here.

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