OpenAI's new short-form video app, Sora, seems to have all the ingredients of a viral hit. Just hours after the app's launch on Tuesday, memes created using its AI video-generation technology were already spreading to other social networks-including, for example, a video of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman rapping from the inside of a toilet bowl. Sora's launch-complete with a TikTok style "for you" page-was something of an about-face for Altman,
Instagram's trying out another way to help creators arrange brand sponsorship deals, this time via downloadable PDF summaries of your account stats that you can share with prospective business partners. As you can see in this example (shared by social media expert Matt Navarra), Instagram's developing a new option that would enable you to share account and content performance data in a simplified summary, which you can then pass on to third parties.
There's the saying, "good artists copy, great ones steal." And then there's whatever Ananta is doing. The upcoming open-world RPG from NetEase developer Naked Rain is going viral again thanks to new footage from Tokyo Game Show 2025. While it might look like the latest round of Genshin Impact-inspired mobile anime slop, the developer has confirmed it won't be relying on exploitative gambling mechanics to earn its keep. It will, however, be ripping off Spider-Man in every way it can.
Snap Inc. (SNAP), the parent of Snapchat, came under pressure last week after Guggenheim analysts struck a cautious tone following their review of Q3 user growth. The stock has fallen 24% year-to-date, in stark contrast to Meta Platforms (META), which has climbed over 30%. I believe the market's skepticism is justified, as Snap still lacks clear, defensible competitive advantages to drive sustained growth and monetization.
Publishing is at a crossroads. The business model that once supported thriving newsrooms, creative outlets, and niche media platforms has crumbled under the weight of collapsing ad deals, ineffective subscriptions, parasitic agencies, and a digital landscape increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence. Publishers who have endured decades of disruption now face a stark choice: adapt with clear strategies for monetization or risk being sidelined entirely.
During the Made on YouTube 2025 event, the company introduced a slew of new AI tools and features that aim to help creators streamline their process and help with engagement. Starting with YouTube's Shorts, Google is implementing its DeepMind Veo 3 Fast generative tool that can create backgrounds on short clips with sound. That includes tools for motion and restyle, prop additions in scenes, AI edits that turn raw footage into a draft video and speech-to-song functionality that converts dialogue into a soundtrack.
As part of the deal, Minute Media is acquiring VideoVerse's Magnifi software, which uses AI tech to cut longer video content and full-length games into bite-size clips. This capability will add a more personalized, contextually aligned pool of video inventory to Minute Media's STN Video platform, Rich Routman, president of Minute Media, told AdExchanger.
Their report also revealed that the top two spending areas of investment for marketing budgets globally are: video content, and thought leadership material. Writing thought leadership content is viewed as a critical investment for marketing purposes, for several reasons, including boosting credibility and trust amongst customers, standing out from the competition in the industry, and becoming known as the go-to source of information in a specific field, which naturally translates to more opportunities to interweave upselling and promotion of products/services.
If you're Gen Z, you probably grew up on algorithms that whisper "monetize it" the moment anything feels fun. The importance of personal brands is constantly drilled into you, along with a side of LinkedIn wins, Etsy grinds, and side hustle culture. If you're good at something, you're told to sell it (or at least make it go viral). Google queries for "how to monetize content shot up 305% in the past month, while "how to build a personal brand " is up 67% year-on-year.
