MadTech Daily: AI Race Intensifies as Anthropic Eyes IPO; Google Tests AI Overviews Merged with AI Mode; Eventbrite Acquired by Bending Spoons

In this episode of the MadTech Podcast, Shula Sinclair, chief strategy officer at T&P, joins ExchangeWire editor Aimee Newell Tarín and head of content John Still to discuss the latest surrounding Meta’s fraudulent ads, AI sending traffic and conversions soaring for retailers, and the influencer landscape. They look at a complaint launched by Swedish publishers against Meta, how AI is reshaping consumer habits, and influencer content’s increasing popularity with older viewers.

 In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at global ad spend set to top USD$1tn in 2026, WPP being demoted from the FTSE 100, and the EU probing Meta’s AI use in WhatsApp.

On today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Anthropic hiring IPO counsel in its race against OpenAI, Mistral unveiling new AI models, as well as Sam Altaman declaring ‘code red’. We also discuss Google testing AI overviews blended with AI mode, and Eventbrite being acquired by Bending Spoons. 

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at Omnicom announcing a major overhaul with new leadership and job cuts, Havas buying Unnest to boost data services, and retailers seeing an 830% jump in traffic from generative AI.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover publishers taking legal action against Meta over its serving of scam ads as well as the impact of this year’s Black Friday, with record online sales in the US while UK high streets saw slowing traffic. Plus Ad Net Zero celebrating five years and unveiling its global strategy.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we discuss the out-of-home advertising (OOH) industry reporting 4.4% growth in Q3, Australia making streamer content quotas law, and China’s AI governance framework winning backing from researchers at DeepSeek and Alibaba.

In this episode of the MadTech podcast, Anna Bager, CEO of the Out of Home Advertising Association of America (OAAA), joins ExchangeWire head of marketing Grainne Reid and COO Lindsay Rowntree to discuss key shifts in programmatic out-of-home and industry consolidation. They look at the OAAA’s Programmatic OOH Transparency Pledge, the growth of the global out-of-home advertising market, and the European Commission’s unconditional approval of the Omnicon-IPG acquisition.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at the European Parliament urging a social media ban for under-16s, the Observer debuting a new digital subscription service, and news ad performance leading the industry.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Walmart exploring ads for its Sparky AI shopping agent, Warner Music Group settling with an AI music firm and launching a joint venture, and YouTube trialing new feed control features.

In today’s MadTech Daily, we look at US senators pushing a probe into Facebook and Instagram scam ads, ChatGPT adding a new shopping research tool, and Alibaba topping revenue forecasts driven by instant retail and AI.