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The news: Google Chrome could soon face intensified competition from OpenAI and Perplexity. On Wednesday, Perplexity launched its long-awaited agentic AI browser, Comet. It鈥檚 currently exclusive to subscribers on its $200-per-month Max plan, but other users can sign up on a waitlist. OpenAI is expected to launch its own browser in the coming weeks, per Reuters, bringing more AI tools to its over 400 million weekly ChatGPT users. As AI search tools continue to expand, companies should plan their generative engine optimization (GEO) strategies now by ensuring content can be summarized by chatbots and that copy in graphics is clear and accessible to AI tools.

Shoppers spent $7.9 billion online during the first 24 hours of the sale, a 9.9% increase YoY. That made it the single-largest ecommerce shopping day so far this year鈥攁nd put the four-day event on track to reach $23.8 billion in online sales, the equivalent of two Black Fridays-worth of spending.

The news: Ulta Beauty acquired upscale UK beauty retailer Space NK for an undisclosed amount, the company said, as it turns to new markets to offset slowing US growth. Our take: The US beauty market is becoming increasingly saturated as more retailers lean on the category to boost sluggish sales. While expanding to new markets comes with its own set of challenges, Ulta鈥檚 decision to rely on acquisitions and distribution partnerships will help smooth its path.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss Every Man Jack鈥檚 performance vs. brand marketing priorities, the role of marketplaces for the company, and what tactics the brand uses to stand out from the pack. Listen to the conversation with our Senior Analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts Principal Analyst Sky Canaves, Senior Analyst Zak Stambor, and VP of Growth Marketing & E-Commerce at Every Man Jack Nick Hasselberg.

In 2023, a jury unanimously ruled against Google in the Epic vs. Google case. It found the tech giant guilty of establishing an illegal monopoly within the Google Play Store and Google Play billing service.

The news: Meta poached Apple鈥檚 top AI/ML engineer, Ruoming Pang, with a multimillion-dollar offer鈥攎arking another major hire for its fast-growing Superintelligence Labs (MSL), per Bloomberg. Our take: MSL鈥檚 AI breakthroughs will likely funnel into Meta鈥檚 core products鈥攁ds, targeting, automation, and content moderation. AI-powered Meta ads are already delivering almost 22% higher returns than average Meta ads, per The Drum. Advertisers should track how Meta鈥檚 talent advantage could enhance ad personalization and ROI. Start stress-testing campaigns with Meta鈥檚 AI tools now鈥攂efore they evolve further鈥攁nd align campaigns to AI-native ad products.

Streamers who lean too heavily on traditional ad structures risk alienating the very users they鈥檙e trying to monetize.

Looking at advertisers: As streaming platforms continue to erode traditional TV viewership, the merger positions the combined entity to better compete by offering bundled services and enhanced content delivery鈥攑otentially opening avenues for advertisers to engage audiences as they shift away from traditional TV.

Digital eclipsed traditional pay TV among live sports viewers in 2023. As that lead grows, the growth of women鈥檚 sports and betting apps provides marketers with opportunities to reach new audiences.

NBCU highlights sports, streaming at Upfront event: The presentation outlined NBCU鈥檚 plan to offset declining traditional TV revenues.

The news: OpenAI is discounting enterprise ChatGPT subscriptions鈥攂ut only if customers agree to buy more AI products. Microsoft is unhappy, as it rarely offers discounts for its competing services aimed at enterprise users, per The Information. Key takeaway: Business leaders should anticipate potential shifts in AI pricing resulting from fraying alliances and increased competition between OpenAI and Microsoft. Lock in longer-term pricing and negotiate for essential services while pushing back on expensive add-ons. Diversifying AI vendors and solutions reduces reliance on single entities and provides opportunities for testing of models from different sources, some of which may be more easily customized for specific use cases.

Studio and linear remain a dark cloud for WBD and Paramount: Revenues were down YoY for both companies, but streaming remains a beacon of hope.

The majority鈥�56%鈥攐f 16- to 24-year olds turn to Google Search, YouTube, or Gemini first when researching products online, up 4 percentage points from a year ago, per Morgan Stanley Research. That compares with just 10% who visit Amazon first, and 12% who start their searches on TikTok.

Tariffs make content creation a riskier gig: If brand deals dry up, creators could seek more traditional career paths.

Gen Zers are driving growth in both emerging and traditional payment methods as they embrace cards, BNPL, and digital wallets. Payment providers must now align their offerings with Gen Z鈥檚 preferences as the cohort鈥檚 spending power grows.

The news: OpenAI finalized a deal with Google Cloud to supplement its Microsoft Azure infrastructure, per Reuters. The deal addresses OpenAI鈥檚 growing compute needs as its annual revenues hit $10 billion, up from $5.5 billion in December. OpenAI鈥檚 ChatGPT and Google Gemini are the biggest rivals in the AI industry. The cloud deal effectively ends Microsoft鈥檚 exclusivity as ChatGPT鈥檚 cloud provider and is likely another indicator that the two companies are growing apart. Our take: The OpenAI-Google Cloud alliance signals a new era of pragmatic AI partnerships and the importance of diversified cloud strategies to support the explosion in AI usage.

The news: China鈥檚 coffee giants are making their way to the US in the hopes of unlocking a lucrative market to offset pressures back home. Our take: Luckin鈥檚 and Cotti鈥檚 US launches are a problem for Starbucks, which is already struggling to compete with the companies in China and having a hard time winning over customers at home. Unfortunately for Starbucks, many of the moves it鈥檚 making鈥攕treamlining its menu, enhancing the in-store experience, leaning into premiumization鈥攔un counter to consumers鈥� current desire for variety, convenience, and value. That has created an opening for chains like Dutch Bros (and now Luckin and Cotti), which are better positioned to capitalize on emerging trends in the coffee space and can undercut Starbucks on price.