“Information is the new bid” and many other gems on AI and Advertising from my teammate Tim Frank in conversation with AdExchanger
Tim Frank
AI is changing every layer of the internet: how people discover, evaluate, and ultimately transact.
I had a far-ranging conversation about the emerging AI… more
AI is changing every layer of the internet: how people discover, evaluate, and ultimately transact.
I had a far-ranging conversation about the emerging AI economy with Allison Schiff at AdExchanger about what that means for brands, publishers, and commerce.
We covered:
• The three eras of the internet: human, LLM, and agentic, and how that plays out for brand discoverability
• How bot traffic overtaking human traffic changes the discovery equation
• The reality that information quality is becoming the new bid
• That interviewing AI models is an important component of market research
• Why open standards, such as the Universal Commerce Protocol are so critical to give AIs the ability to take action
The shift can sound abstract, but my family experienced a small version of it this summer. We used AI to find specialty shops in New York based on things we already liked. It narrowed the options and helped us plan. Then we did the human part: walked around, explored, and bought a little more than planned. :)
That balance of spending less time navigating complexity and more time enjoying the experience is where this gets interesting.
Links:
• Article: https://lnkd.in/gBKhTPe5
• YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gR4dsnaxThis is a version of unbundling, which happens all the time in markets and can be incredibly strategically disruptive… the most valuable components of a product are carved out and performed by a faster/cheaper/better solution. I think Ethan is right to call… more
This is a version of unbundling, which happens all the time in markets and can be incredibly strategically disruptive… the most valuable components of a product are carved out and performed by a faster/cheaper/better solution. I think Ethan is right to call out this trend for certain jobs, which will shine a light on which parts of the job are truly valued (and paid for) by the market… because it’s not always what we think at face value. Are universities paying mathematicians for proofs or teaching?Ethan Mollick
What you are seeing in math right now is a consequence of the jagged frontier, and a precursor of what is to come in other professions. Yes, mathematicians do… more
What you are seeing in math right now is a consequence of the jagged frontier, and a precursor of what is to come in other professions. Yes, mathematicians do math, but they also have other tasks they view as important (mentor students, maintain a scientific community, safeguard the future of a field, foster a love of math) that AI can't do
At least one worry that mathematicians seem to have is that by focusing on the flashiest, most obvious element of what mathematicians do (make proofs), the AI companies are damaging the other tasks that AI can't do. AI can discover superhuman proofs, but that is not all that the math profession is about, and actually can undermine and reduce the attention to the other aspects of the job that are important to mathematicians. It becomes harder to defend the value of the many other tasks mathematicians do to the outside world if the most visible part is taken away.
I suspect we will see more of this across fields and professions that will increasingly be forced to help people understand that their jobs consist not only the most visible tasks that AI can do, but also tasks that the AI cannot do or does badly.like 83love 7insightful 7support 4
Clicked this link on a whim this morning and after 5 minutes I was completely sucked in. I always love hearing how people at the top of their craft actually work… especially when the biggest breakthroughs are sometimes totally accidental. If you’ve got an… more
Clicked this link on a whim this morning and after 5 minutes I was completely sucked in. I always love hearing how people at the top of their craft actually work… especially when the biggest breakthroughs are sometimes totally accidental. If you’ve got an hour this weekend and love pop music, have a listen. The stories behind Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5) and Diamonds (Rhianna) alone are worth it.
https://lnkd.in/dawGqg8Glike 46love 6insightful 4funny 1
Something I’ve come to notice over the years:
The most truly talented people are often the easiest people to work with. Maybe that’s not a coincidence.
Thoroughly enjoyed spending time with a group of creators in Bengaluru last month. The common theme was sharing real experiences rather than perfect outcomes. Thanks Unnati Bagga, Dhairya Gangwani, Shivanshi Shivhare, Loveena Kamath, Dev Raj Saini and Mahima… more
Thoroughly enjoyed spending time with a group of creators in Bengaluru last month. The common theme was sharing real experiences rather than perfect outcomes. Thanks Unnati Bagga, Dhairya Gangwani, Shivanshi Shivhare, Loveena Kamath, Dev Raj Saini and Mahima Hans for the thoughtful discussion. Looking forward to more of your content on LinkedInlike 368love 50celebrate 15support 6insightful 1
worth a watch if you want hear directly from the ceo of Anthropic and Marc Benioff talk about the what the leading company in AI is doing about safety by adjusting the pacing of their development.
Salesforce
Live: Dario Amodei x Marc Benioff. The Anthropic co-founder & CEO joins us at Dreamforce for a conversation worth hearing. ☁️
Fun chat with Benjamin Chipman at LinkedIn HQ about the questions GenZ has about networking but can be afraid to ask...
Benjamin Chipman
GenZ in the workplace this, GenZ in the workplace that.
LinkedIn saw that everyone had so much to say about how we as GenZ show up in the workplace that they… more
GenZ in the workplace this, GenZ in the workplace that.
LinkedIn saw that everyone had so much to say about how we as GenZ show up in the workplace that they invited me out to headquarters in Mountain View, CA to ask the questions to the man in charge-- CEO Daniel Shapero.
Dan and I got to talk honestly about what’s happening with early career opportunities and how to create experiences for yourself in a changing work climate.
We also talked about the elephant in the room… what AI means for professionals navigating their first jobs.
The biggest takeaways I’m leaving with?
1️⃣ Be generous with your experience.
⏩ Share your learnings and what it took for you to get there. That doesn't have to mean posting if you’re not ready for that. Comment and engage to maintain your connections and celebrate wins alongside others.
2️⃣ ”Connectionmaxxing” (as the Gen Alphas are calling it) doesn’t do much for ya in terms of creating opportunity. Those 500+ connections should be people you’ve actually engaged with, not just strangers on the internet.
⏩ Cultivating meaningful relationships will always bring you more value than spray-and-pray connecting.
3️⃣ There are fewer entry level jobs, we’re not imagining that… but the data suggest it’s not necessarily AI’s fault. Interest rates are actually the more likely culprit.
⏩ Standing out obviously matters more than ever, but using AI to apply for more jobs isn’t the solution. What is working, is investing in the human relationships that undergird every employment decision.
Can’t wait to share the full interview with you soon 😀 #LinkedInPartner #GenZintheWorkplace #Postgrad #EarlyCareer #GenZlike 83love 13celebrate 8insightful 5support 4
NFL kicks off tonight. So cool to see Seahawks analyst Brian Eayrs and other coaches across the league are using Copilot in Excel on the sidelines this season.
Will Excel’s Brian Jones end up being the Seahawks MVP this year 😄
https://lnkd.in/g7EECTE4
Part 2 of my conversation with Dhairya Gangwani , from my visit to India a few weeks ago. Enjoyed sharing my thoughts on both my own career as well as how AI is changing the game on leadership and work.
Dhairya Gangwani
13+ years at LinkedIn. 8 different roles!
A career that has been anything but linear.
Archana Sekhar's journey is a reminder that growth doesn’t always… more
13+ years at LinkedIn. 8 different roles!
A career that has been anything but linear.
Archana Sekhar's journey is a reminder that growth doesn’t always require changing companies. Sometimes, it comes from continuously reinventing yourself within one.
In Part 2 of our conversation, we discuss the human skills that will matter even more in the AI era, the career rule she would rewrite for professionals in India, and lessons from her unconventional journey.
Because in a world powered by AI, our most human skills may become our greatest advantage.
What was your biggest learning from this video?
Let us know in the comments 👇What surprised Anne Wojcicki the most after founding 23andMe? And why is she the most popular elementary school class speaker ever?
New episode of The Messy Middle, out now: https://lnkd.in/e9rUaCih
We’ve been spending time listening to Gen Z about how they’re building professional relationships as they become more influential in the workplace. Most interesting to me was that despite growing up in a world where you build relationships on digital… more
We’ve been spending time listening to Gen Z about how they’re building professional relationships as they become more influential in the workplace. Most interesting to me was that despite growing up in a world where you build relationships on digital platforms, Gen Z don't find it easy to do this for work... which is something I want LinkedIn to improve on. I know that many of my own professional opportunities were shaped by relationships I'd invested in.
Curious what advice you’d give someone early in their career who’s trying to build professional relationships?like 1,062love 88insightful 59celebrate 21support 16funny 2
Went down the rabbit hole on data centers in space... the crazy thing I didn't realize is that one of the hardest parts is going to be cooling the GPUs. But wait, isn't space cold?!? Yes, but in a vacuum there's no medium for absorbing the heat into the… more
Went down the rabbit hole on data centers in space... the crazy thing I didn't realize is that one of the hardest parts is going to be cooling the GPUs. But wait, isn't space cold?!? Yes, but in a vacuum there's no medium for absorbing the heat into the surrounding area... so you need to radiate it away. This article says that for a 100MW data center, you need 2500 pickleball court size radiators. That sounds like a lot. Super interesting.
https://lnkd.in/gJEc2rCSlike 200insightful 77love 3celebrate 2funny 1support 1
Enjoyed chatting with Varun Mayya about LinkedIn and my career journey over a whiteboard. We wound up talking about mistakes, lucky breaks, and what I'd do differently if I were starting out in 2026. Thanks for the conversation Varun!
Varun Mayya
I asked the CEO of LinkedIn which jobs people are actually getting hired for right now, and what he would do if he was 22 in India today. I also got him to… more
I asked the CEO of LinkedIn which jobs people are actually getting hired for right now, and what he would do if he was 22 in India today. I also got him to reverse engineer his entire career on a whiteboard, from three failed startups to becoming CEO. Nobody sees more hiring data than him, and we get into what you should actually be doing for your career, and why every job done the old way is fading.
Full conversation is out now on YouTube. Link in Commentslike 157love 14celebrate 9insightful 4support 2
Tried something today that I think I'm going to turn into a Friday habit... people often comment to me that someone they work with is doing a great job. So... I sent a handful of Teams messages saying "I was catching up with XXXX, and they mentioned that… more
Tried something today that I think I'm going to turn into a Friday habit... people often comment to me that someone they work with is doing a great job. So... I sent a handful of Teams messages saying "I was catching up with XXXX, and they mentioned that you're doing a great job" and then added some detail. Took me 15 minutes and got some tremendous responses. Made me feel great doing it as well. Give it a try.like 1,843love 455celebrate 191support 54insightful 16funny 3
Howdy! here's some specific advice on how you can help me help you get a job! I think this advice holds for your outreach to any senior hiring manager. If anyone else has good advice please share it in the comments!
Just thought this was good knowledge for
leaders thinking about getting their AI game more systemized across orgs.
Dennis Woodside
Reskilling used to be framed as an individual project. Nights, weekends, your career, your problem, your dime. Plenty of people are still doing it that way —… more
Reskilling used to be framed as an individual project. Nights, weekends, your career, your problem, your dime. Plenty of people are still doing it that way — nobody is going to be more invested in your fluency than you. But the pace of AI has pushed the load past what individual effort can carry on its own.
We've ended up splitting it three ways.
The first part stays with the individual, and I don't want to soften that. The second sits with the company and it costs money. The third sits with whoever is running the place and it costs something harder to give; time. Companies that leave all three on the employee will get the fluency of the people who had time.
On Freshworks’ share: we run a program called AI in Motion. We recently wrapped the third installment — three regional events across 11 cities, thousands of employees. Those events produced 25 innovation showcases: working prototypes from SecOps, IT, CX, Sales, Sales Ops, Engineering and Product, each one built against real customer or business problems. And 15 sessions where employees taught other employees how they're using AI in their own jobs — financial workflows, building pipeline, prototyping.
Two things about that. It happened on work time, not on people's weekends. And it wasn't built for engineers. The prototypes that surprised me came out of functions that don't write code for a living.
On the leadership share: I plan my whole training year in Claude — I run four races a summer and the plan is built and adjusted there. I also build prototypes in Lovable and send them to the product team. They're usually terrible ideas, but you can't set expectations from a distance. If the people running a company aren't in the tools, everyone below them reads that accurately, and no training program closes that gap.
Here's what it looks like when fluency lands. Our product development lifecycle has changed. Designers work in Figma, push through Figma Make directly to code, and we've built the hooks into our production environment so what comes out already meets our internal coding standards. QA is largely automated. Cycle times are ~30% faster and AI products ship on a two-week cycle, which we weren't doing before.
We've also turned our own AI Email agent on our own billing questions. It handled about 30% of them from the day we switched it on.
Neither of those came from buying something. They came from people who already worked here figuring out what the tools could do in their part of the business.
Most of our customers aren't from the tech industry. They're not benchmarking models on the weekend. They're looking to us to be conversant enough in this to help them get from experimentation to real use, and you can't outsource that to your product. Most of the AI debate at the CEO level is about which model, which stack, how much budget. That debate matters. What determines whether AI shows up in the P&L is whether the people you already employ know how to use what you've already boughtThis is wild.
Augustus Doricko
Rainmaker just produced ~19M gallons of water in Alaska via next-gen cloud seeding over 3 hours of operations.
We are the first company to provably produce… more
Rainmaker just produced ~19M gallons of water in Alaska via next-gen cloud seeding over 3 hours of operations.
We are the first company to provably produce precipitation in Alaska. As promised, we’ve linked our white paper and relevant data.
In the future, Rainmaker will protect and restore glaciers with man-made snowfall.
Immediately, this demonstration shows how Rainmaker will add new water to the Colorado River and Great Salt Lake in the coming months.
We turned around this analysis and white paper just a couple days after operating. There are many data sources I want to deepen our understanding of the atmosphere and increase our provable production; we’re building the instruments to collect that data in subsequent operations. But at Rainmaker, we won’t tout LOIs, simulations, or lab tests. What matters is physically measuring that you’ve affected the atmosphere; proving that we’ve produced water. We prefer sharing only the tech that has proven to make more water for farms, industries, and ecosystems in need.
Expect a regular cadence of these from us as we build the best atmospheric science lab in the world. Feedback is welcome in the interim.
Rainmaker Century.
https://lnkd.in/gHi8YQSBlike 48insightful 16celebrate 4love 3support 1
Must read alert!
Lea Kissner
I can't believe that our new book, "Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well" is here and in print. This book teaches how to think about… more
I can't believe that our new book, "Building Safer Technology: A Field Guide to Failing Well" is here and in print. This book teaches how to think about building technology in a world where things fail -- security, privacy, trust&safety, AI safety, and more. Because we concentrate on the underlying thinking and skills, this is durable knowledge which you can use even as the details of the technology changes every single day.
I don't have a copy yet, so you might be able to get one before I do! Get it from the publisher: https://lnkd.in/gG3G7Bzn
Or Amazon:
https://lnkd.in/g4r2QH8Ylike 42love 4celebrate 3insightful 2
