Is ChatGPT's global dominance slipping? What US tariffs mean for ad giants and do we need to rein in our own AI habits?

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We’re taking a short break from the usual format, but trust me, the next one’s worth the wait.

In the next episode I am joined by Anne Berlin from Lumar for a deep dive into technical SEO in the era of AI and how smart marketers can stop playing catch-up and start leading from the front.

We cover everything from why brand is your best moat in an algorithm-led world, to the technical SEO foundations that still matter, and the myth of performance marketing as a long-term growth strategy.

If you’ve ever wondered how to future-proof your SEO and build a brand that actually means something, this one’s for you.

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Big in business, marketing & tech this week

It has been a busy week in the world of business, marketing and tech! This is what I have been reading 👀 

OpenAI introduces shopping

OpenAI just took a direct shot at Google and Amazon by rolling out product recommendations inside ChatGPT. It marks a shift toward a more commercial AI, one that surfaces products based on real intent, not ads or affiliates. ChatGPT now pulls in third-party product data, ranks items by relevance, and rewrites descriptions to be clearer and more useful. This isn’t old school browsing, it’s AI-driven decision support. Why use a search engine when AI can give you cleaner, faster answers without the noise?(OpenAI)

Are Sam Altman and Satya Nadella growing apart? 

The once-celebrated partnership between Sam Altman and Satya Nadella is showing signs of strain. Their differing visions for artificial general intelligence (AGI) are at the heart of this tension. Altman is pushing for OpenAI's independence, seeking more computing resources and exploring massive infrastructure projects like the $500 billion Stargate initiative with Oracle and SoftBank. Meanwhile, Nadella is working to reduce Microsoft's reliance on OpenAI by developing in-house AI capabilities, including hiring Mustafa Suleyman from DeepMind to lead internal model development efforts.

This divergence has led to reduced direct communication between the two CEOs and a shift from their previously close collaboration. Microsoft retains significant influence over OpenAI, including the ability to block its restructuring into a for-profit entity, while OpenAI can restrict Microsoft's access to its most advanced technology . The evolving dynamics suggest both companies are preparing for more independent futures in the rapidly advancing AI landscape. (WSJ)

Apple loses major App Store ruling, can no longer charge fees on external purchases

Apple has lost a significant legal battle and can no longer charge fees on purchases made outside of its App Store. The ruling has been welcomed by developers such as Spotify and Epic Games, who have long criticised Apple’s 30% commission — often referred to as the “Apple tax.” Despite Apple's plans to appeal the decision, the company is required to comply with the ruling immediately.

The 30% fee has been widely viewed as excessive and a sign of Apple’s monopolistic control over the iOS ecosystem.(The Verge)

UNC launches new NIL model to support all student-athletes

The University of North Carolina (UNC) is pioneering a new approach in college sports by helping all 850 of its student-athletes build personal brands and earn income through NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deals. This shift aims to benefit athletes in sports beyond football and basketball, which have traditionally received the most attention. Competitors in niche disciplines such as gymnastics, diving, and field hockey now have a pathway to meaningful earnings.

The initiative has been promoted through strong PR by Article 41, which will take a 20% cut of NIL earnings in exchange for boosting the students’ social media presence. However, increased exposure on social platforms can carry mental health risks, from online negativity to the added workload, which could lead to burnout.(New York Times)

AI, zero-click searches, and the rise of AIOs

Although a couple of months old, I came across this article via a LinkedIn post discussing AI and zero-click searches. The concept of zero-click searches isn’t new — featured snippets have been around since 2015, increasingly surfacing answers directly in search results without requiring users to click through to a website.

The article was originally published in February, just before the sharp rise in AIOs (AI Overviews) began appearing in Google, primarily for informational queries. This marks a significant threat to publishers' organic traffic, even as LLMs like ChatGPT and Perplexity grow in popularity and offer brands alternative sources of 'organic' discovery.

From my research, AIOs change frequently, with only the strongest brands. those with high query coverage and robust backlink profiles, appearing consistently.

It's an exciting yet challenging time in search. There’s more choice than ever, but competition for traffic is fiercer. To succeed, SEOs must learn, adapt, and become more deeply embedded in business strategy, influencing brand, commercial direction, and product development alike.(Bain).

Shein and Temu traffic drops following tariff changes

The closure of a key import loophole means Shein and Temu now face import duties of up to 145%, sharply increasing their costs to sell in the U.S. market.

The Similarweb charts below highlight a drop in overall traffic to Temu, coinciding with a cut in paid search spend. In recent weeks, this appears to include brand campaigns too, with a simultaneous jump in organic traffic, often a sign that organic is absorbing a share of the previously paid traffic. The reduction in ad spend has also led to both apps slipping down the U.S. app store charts, signalling a broader slowdown in user acquisition.

This poses a major challenge for advertisers in the U.S. In Q1 2025, Alphabet reported $14.85 billion in revenue from the APAC region, accounting for approximately 16.5% of total quarterly revenue. Meta also saw strong APAC performance, with around 23% of Q4 2024 ad revenue growth attributed to the region. China alone generated approximately $18 billion in revenue for Meta in 2024, around 11% of its total.

If Shein and Temu continue to scale back, 2025 could bring a significant hit to the two largest ad platforms.. (New York Times)

Google trials AI mode in search to stay ahead of ChatGPT

Google is testing an AI mode in search as Alphabet looks to strengthen its AI proposition while maintaining its cash cow, Google Ads. The new experience includes a tab at the top of search results that allows users to switch into “Google’s AI mode” and engage in a conversational search experience. This is exactly what Jon Earnshaw and I discussed back in January, when we predicting what changes we’d see in search in 2025.

The threat posed by ChatGPT is significant. While Google still commands around 90% of the search market, its dominance is beginning to wane. With ChatGPT increasingly overlapping Google’s functionality, including areas like Shopping integration, the search giant must bring its AI proposition front and centre without cannibalising revenue from its paid advertising business. Tough gig. (The Verge)

TikTok Live overtakes Twitch as audiences favour real-world content over gaming

In Q1 2025, the livestreaming landscape shifted significantly as TikTok Live overtook Twitch to become the #2 platform in global watch hours, second only to YouTube Live. TikTok Live’s rise reflects a broader audience shift toward authentic, real-world content over traditional gaming streams. This evolution is opening doors for new creator categories, including fashion, lifestyle, fitness, and education, not just esports professionals.

TikTok Live’s dominance in non-gaming content and live shopping now makes it a strategic priority for commerce-focused marketers.(Streamscharts)

OpenAI rolls back GPT-4o update after backlash over ‘overly agreeable’ behaviour

OpenAI recalls GPT-4o update for being too agreeable. We’ve all been there, right? “Give me the honest answer over politeness.” This week, OpenAI rolled back a recent update to GPT-4o after users described the model as “overly agreeable” or sycophantic, encouraging questionable behaviour and offering uncomfortably flattering responses.

Overly sycophantic AI isn’t just tediously frustrating — it can be dangerous, potentially reinforcing harmful views or choices instead of applying appropriate guardrails. (ZDNET)

If we let AI do everything, what is the point of it all?

This week I’ve been inundated with AI workflows that promise to do everything for me. All I have to do is set up the system — upload brand guidelines, define the writing style, scrape a few websites — and then press a button each week. In return, I’ll get a full content calendar for the rest of 2025, newsletters written automatically, and a conveyor belt of SEO content designed to grow organic traffic.

We’ve all heard the same pitch before. But I wanted to take a closer look at one of the examples shared in a video posted a year ago. I won’t name the brand (even though the workflow tool itself is genuinely impressive).

One slide in the presentation showed a snippet from Google Search Console (I’ve redacted the design for confidentiality), boasting how their AI workflow could mass-produce content based on the criteria set at the start.

If you’re looking at this, you might be thinking: “Wow, why haven’t I done this?” But fast forward a few months, there’s a sharp drop following a Google core algorithm update, and the CMO leaves the business shortly after.

The spike in published pages tracks neatly with the rise in traffic, until it doesn’t. A few months later, the trend reverses, and what looked like a growth engine turns into a slow-motion crash.

You didn’t see this slide in the follow-up tutorial!

The reason I bring this up is that while it's important to embrace AI, we shouldn’t lose sight of the need for human involvement, especially if we want to keep learning, improving, and staying curious.

This newsletter took me a few hours to write. I used AI to speed up the research and tighten the language, but why would I want to build a workflow for business, marketing, and tech that removes the fun, curiosity, and personal growth I get from writing about things that interest me.

If monetisation is the only goal, then sure, I get it. But if that’s the only goal. what’s the point? We’ll end up with zero critical thinking, mass-produced content that all sounds the same, and creative power consolidated in the hands of a few.

How is ChatGPT’s global reach shifting?

It felt like the right time to take stock of the LLM space — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and others — and explore how usage patterns have shifted over the past six months.