July 2025

A major shift is underway in the way consumers discover, research and purchase products online — and it’s being driven by artificial intelligence.

OpenAI is rolling out new features and exploring integrations with platforms like Shopify that could allow users to shop directly through ChatGPT. This means customers could search for and buy products from Shopify merchants without ever leaving a chat interface.

For decades, online shopping began with a Google search. Consumers typed in keywords, skimmed links, compared reviews and then clicked “buy.” That model is quickly being replaced by something faster, smarter and more personalized: AI-assisted shopping.

According to Adobe Analytics, 39% of U.S. consumers say they’ve already used generative AI for shopping-related tasks. More than half (53%) plan to use it this year to research products, get gift ideas, compare pricing and discover unique brands.

Instead of browsing dozens of web pages, AI assistants summarize product options instantly, personalize recommendations and even build shopping lists tailored to individual needs. Here are the latest developments you need to know:

Related: The Future of SEO — 3 Trends Every CEO Should Know

AI-powered shopping: what’s already happening

This shift isn’t just theoretical — it’s already taking shape:

• Even before fully integrating with Shopify, Open AI has improved ChatGPT’s product search and memory, allowing customers to buy products surfaced by AI chat responses.
• Amazon recently launched a “Buy for Me” feature that allows AI agents to purchase products from other brand websites when they aren’t available on Amazon.
• Perplexity introduced a Pro Shopping Assistant in 2024, designed to streamline decision-making by providing AI-curated product summaries

This new generation of intelligent shopping tools is redefining what it means to be “discoverable.” For e-commerce brands, that means adapting fast, or risk being left out of the conversation entirely.

What does this mean for your business?

To stay competitive in an AI-driven marketplace, brands must rethink how they present their products online. Here are five practical steps you can take today:

Step 1: Shift from SEO to AEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) dominated digital marketing for decades. Brands invested heavily to optimize their websites and content with keywords for search engines – a race to be listed at the top of Google’s search results. That’s how companies stood out among competitors, driving traffic and boosting sales.

But searching for products on Google forces consumers to scroll through various websites and click a lot of links to read reviews, compare product features and evaluate pricing and shipping times. While convenient and fast compared to traditional, in-person shopping, AI now offers an even more efficient shortcut.

AI chatbots can instantly search everywhere, scouring the Internet for websites and feedback, and then provide an easy-to-follow summary of findings. With customers increasingly using AI instead of Google to shop, SEO is becoming less relevant. In addition to SEO, what you now need is a way to make sure your products are included in ChatGPT’s recommendations and responses.

Answer engine optimization (AEO) is the new SEO. While this shift is just getting underway, tech and consumer behavior are moving fast. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, you need to start adapting your strategies now to optimize for AI.

Step 2: Make sure AI can understand and recommend your products

As platforms like Shopify become more integrated with AI systems, you want to make sure the AI chatbot suggests your products, not your competitor’s. To be recommended, brands need to organize and present their data in a way that’s accessible and readable by ChatGPT. And, as consumers engage in conversation with chatbots – by adding or taking away criteria, for example – updated responses will surface in real-time.
Brands will need support designing their Shopify storefronts and listings in order to stay ahead of ChatGPT’s nuanced recommendation engine.

That means:

• Optimizing your Shopify product listings with clear, conversational copy
• Using standardized formats for pricing, availability and shipping
• Highlighting your most competitive features in plain language

When consumers interact with AI assistants — adding preferences or asking follow-up questions — the AI dynamically updates recommendations. If your product data isn’t accessible or detailed enough, your brand could be left out.

My company, FORE Enterprise, is developing infrastructure to support both customers and brands through this AEO shift. By connecting your company’s own data to ChatGPT, we help ensure the accuracy of the information shoppers receive about your brand.

Related: Predictive AI Search Is Here — Is Your Brand Ready for It?

Step 3: Differentiate or disappear

AI assistants rely on data to make decisions, and that means only the best-positioned products will be recommended.

To stand out, you need to clearly communicate:

• What makes your product different
• Why it’s worth the price
• What value it offers over similar options

Ask yourself: If a consumer were using a chatbot to shop, what would they want to know about your product? Price? Durability? Eco-friendly packaging? Award-winning design?

Start by identifying your brand’s unique value propositions, then ensure those qualities are clearly reflected in your listings and website content.

Step 4: Write like a human, not a spec sheet

AI tools like ChatGPT rely on natural language understanding, so your product pages need to speak the way humans do.

Instead of jargon-heavy descriptions or overly technical language, focus on conversational, customer-focused storytelling:

• Answer common questions customers might ask
• Highlight use cases and real-life benefits
• Use bullet points, bold text and digestible formatting

The more your content resembles how people actually talk and shop, the easier it is for AI to understand — and recommend — your products.

Step 5: Start now — not later

The AI shopping revolution is happening quickly. While the concept of AEO is still evolving, the companies that move first will have the biggest advantage.

Right now, there’s a narrow window to position your brand at the forefront of AI-driven discovery. This means:

• Auditing your product content and structure
• Rewriting listings for clarity and AI-readability
• Partnering with experts to connect your data to AI platforms

Final thought: adapt early, win big

This isn’t just a new tech trend. It’s a fundamental change in how people find, evaluate and purchase products online.

Brands that succeed in the next era of e-commerce will be those that understand how AI thinks, speaks and recommends. If you want to ensure your products are seen — and bought — you need to act now.

Let AI work for you, not against you.

Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

Dropbox was born because Drew Houston was sick of emailing himself files. ConvertKit came from a blogger who was tired of clunky email automations. Notion grew out of the chaos of managing scattered notes and documents.

These weren’t random startup ideas pulled from a pitch deck. They were solutions to personal problems. And that’s what made them powerful. When you build what you need, you shortcut months of guesswork. You skip the focus groups, the theoretical personas and the assumptions. You already understand the problem deeply because you live it.

Related: Got a Startup Idea? Here’s What It Really Takes to Make It Work

Start with friction, not vision

The first step to building a meaningful product isn’t to identify a trendy niche or chase a hot market. It’s to pay attention to the moments in your day that feel harder than they should. The tasks you procrastinate. The tools you silently curse. That friction is your opportunity.

Forget disruption. Forget scale. The best early-stage products come from irritation, not inspiration. What’s broken in your workflow? What are you duct-taping together every week just to get by? Start there. That’s where urgency and empathy already live.

Talk to people like you

Once you spot a problem, skip the massive surveys. Talk to a handful of people who share your situation. If you’re a freelancer, speak with freelancers. If you’re a working parent with a side hustle, speak with others juggling the same chaos. The more overlap between you and your early users, the faster you’ll know if this is a real pain or just a minor inconvenience.

What you’re looking for is emotional signal — frustration, not politeness. You want someone to say, “I’d pay for that today.”

Build the painkiller, not the platform

You don’t need to launch a polished product. In fact, polish is usually a waste early on. Your first version can be a spreadsheet, a Notion template, a Zapier automation — whatever works. The goal is to prove the fix, not win design awards.

Don’t aim for elegance. Aim for utility. If it works, users won’t care that it’s scrappy.

Test willingness to pay as soon as possible

This is where most people hesitate. But if your product solves a real problem, people will pay — even if it’s ugly. Even if it’s early. Real payment is the difference between “interesting idea” and “actual business.” And it doesn’t have to be much. Charge a small onboarding fee or ask for a credit card to reserve early access. You’re not trying to trick anyone. You’re testing commitment.

Too many founders wait until everything is perfect before asking for money. By then, they’ve burned time, budget and momentum. Pricing is feedback. So get it early.

Narrate the build, don’t just build

While you’re creating your product, share the journey. Post what you’re building, what you’re stuck on and what you’re learning. Whether it’s Twitter, LinkedIn or a Substack, showing your process builds trust. You’re not selling — you’re storytelling. And that attracts the right people: others who feel the same pain you’re solving.

Make your first users successful

Don’t rush to scale. If you’re still explaining what your product does, you’re not ready to grow. Focus instead on helping your early users get results. Support them. Follow up. Ask who else they know who needs this. Word-of-mouth isn’t a viral fluke — it’s the byproduct of usefulness.

Related: The One Simple Task That Will Help Your Startup Succeed

Build from conviction, not theory

When you build for yourself, you don’t need to fake insight. You don’t have to invent personas. You already understand the stakes. That shows up in the product, the copy and the customer experience. And most importantly, it builds trust. You’re not a startup guessing at what might matter—you’re a person solving something that already does.

Drew Houston didn’t plan on building a billion-dollar company. He just wanted a faster way to move his files. That pain became Dropbox — and millions of others felt it too.

You don’t need permission. You don’t need a grand strategy. You need to notice the problem that keeps nagging at you — and build the thing you wish already existed.

That’s where real businesses begin.

Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

Last fall, Chipotle announced that it was using an AI tool named “Ava Cado” to speed up its hiring process. And so far, it is working out well for the burrito maker.

Chipotle Chief Human Resources Officer Ilene Eskenazi told CNBC Monday that since implementing the technology, the number of applicants the company has received has increased “dramatically.”

Eskenazi said that the company has seen an 85% application completion rate, much higher than average, because the tool helps candidates fill in fields, which cuts down the time it takes to complete.

Related: Chipotle’s New Robots That Can Crank Out Nearly 200 Burrito Bowls an Hour

“[It] has greatly increased our funnel so that we’re serving up many more candidates for our managers to evaluate,” Eskenazi said.

“Ava Cado” interacts with job candidates, answers questions, collects information, and schedules interviews with (human) hiring managers. It also speaks multiple languages: English, Spanish, French, and German.

In October, Chipotle CEO Scott Boatwright said the tool reduced hiring times by up to 75%. This week, Eskenazi gave an example and said that it used to take 12 days to get a candidate from application to hire-ready. Thanks to Ava Cado, it now takes three and a half days — and they show up much more prepared.

“They’re much more informed about what the job really is, and so then we know that the applicants are that much more interested in the job by the time they’re meeting a hiring manager in person,” Eskenazi said. “I personally have been pleasantly surprised by how much candidates have enjoyed interacting with Ava.”

It hasn’t helped with sales, though. Last week, Chipotle reported that traffic had declined for the second quarter in a row.

New federal filings reveal what the world’s largest private employer, Walmart, with over two million global employees, pays its workforce.

Top tech companies can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in salaries, with Meta paying up to millions, and Walmart is no different. According to the filings, seen by Business Insider, Walmart pays software engineers up to $286,000, comparable to the $263,700 made by top engineers at rival Amazon.

Other tech giants offer high compensation for similar roles, including Microsoft, which can pay $284,000 for top engineering talent. At Meta and Google, the same roles can pay up to $480,000 at Meta and a maximum of $340,000 for Google.

Related: Top-Performing Walmart Managers Can Now Make $620,000 a Year

The filings also show that Walmart, which is the world’s largest company by revenue, compensates staff product managers anywhere from $136,500 to $286,000. Meanwhile, data scientists take home a range of $138,333 to $286,000.

The data arrives from the 1,750 filings Walmart submitted to the U.S. Department of Labor in the first half of this year. Companies are required to submit pay information when hiring foreign workers through the H-1B visa program, which allows highly skilled workers to take on specialty occupations.

The documents show base annual salaries for H-1B visa workers and do not include additional forms of compensation, like signing bonuses and stock options. They present a snapshot of compensation, but not the entire picture.

Related: This ‘Sweet’ Role Is the Highest Paid Position at Walmart After Managers

The filings reveal that Walmart pays other roles as follows:

• Distinguished Architect: $184,827 to $338,000
• Senior Product Manager: $121,000 to $286,000
• Senior Design Researcher: $142,002 to $234,000
• User Experience Design Senior Manager: $183,227 to $286,000
• Software Engineering Director: $190,486 to $312,000
• Product Management Director: $201,323 to $338,000

While these roles can pay six figures, they are outside the typical salary for most Walmart employees.

Walmart’s workforce mainly consists of hourly store workers, who average an hourly wage of close to $18. As of 2021, Walmart employed 1.2 million part-time and full-time hourly store workers in the U.S. out of 1.5 million overall U.S. employees. As of the time of writing, more than 75% of Walmart’s 45,201 open jobs globally are for positions in Walmart stores and warehouses.

That composition is reflected in broader assessments of Walmart’s pay levels. According to Walmart’s annual proxy statement, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year, the median Walmart employee made $29,469.

In comparison, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon earned a total annual compensation of $27,408,854, or 930 times more than the median employee.

^{Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images}

The statement also showed that Walmart has increased its workforce over the past few years. As of the end of fiscal year 2024, Walmart employed approximately 1.6 million U.S. employees and had about 2.1 million workers worldwide, making it both the largest employer in the U.S. and in the world.

Related: Here’s How Much 8 CEOs Made in 2024, From JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon to Disney’s Bob Iger

Some Walmart market managers who manage a cluster of stores can make $420,000 to $620,000 in total compensation. Walmart gave these managers a pay increase of up to $100,000 from last year.

Additionally, with revenue of $681 billion last year, Walmart beat Amazon, which earned $638 billion across the same period, to the top spot of the world’s biggest company by revenue.

Walmart stock was up nearly 9% year-to-date at the time of writing. The company has a market value of over $780 billion.

^{Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.}

When I launched my first startup, hustle culture was the playbook. You worked nonstop, obsessed over the product and hoped customers would show up later. Everything revolved around the grind.

But the next generation of founders? They’re building smarter — not just harder.

They’re rejecting outdated startup myths, reshaping what success looks like and, frankly, doing it better. Here’s what they’re getting right — and what every founder should learn from them.

Related: How To Use Entrepreneurial Creativity For Innovation

They build community before product

We used to build first, sell later. The customer was an afterthought. As a result, we built in silos and hoped it resonated. Today’s founders flip that. They gather an audience early and then co-create solutions with them.

Take LEGO. Even with a global fan base, they invited users to collaborate on designs. That shift from selling to users to building with them turns buyers into loyal advocates and drives better products from day one.

They lead with purpose, not just profit

For my generation, business started and ended with revenue. Culture, wellbeing and ethics were nice-to-haves — not priorities.

But today’s founders build companies that stand for something. Whether it’s sustainability, mental health or social impact, they align their mission with their market. Profit follows purpose and creates deeper, longer-lasting loyalty.

They choose authenticity over polish

Back then, founders were expected to be polished and perfectly poised — especially in public. I remember prepping endlessly for interviews, trying to appear “flawless.”

Now? Founders are showing up as themselves. No suits, no script, just transparency. And audiences love them for it. People don’t want curated personas — they want someone real they can relate to.

They use data as a compass, not a crutch

We treated data like gospel. If the numbers said no, the conversation ended. But younger founders use data more intuitively. It’s a compass — not a cage.

They combine analytics with gut instinct and on-the-ground feedback, leading to more human-centered decisions and better company cultures.

They start digital and scale smart

We defaulted to physical spaces, then added digital as an extra. Today’s founders do the opposite. They build digital-first businesses — fast to launch, easier to test and scale and designed to reach global audiences from day one.

They prioritize inclusion from the start

Our hiring playbook focused on “culture fit.” Today’s leaders prioritize diversity of thought, background and experience — not as a checkbox but as a core strength.

The result? More creativity, stronger teams and products that speak to broader markets.

They’re not afraid to say, ‘I don’t know’

Founders used to believe they had to be the smartest person in the room. Decisions were top-down. Feedback was limited.

Now, the best leaders are learners. They listen, ask, adapt and bring their teams into the process. That humility isn’t a weakness — it’s a competitive edge.

Related: Gen Z Is Quitting Corporate for a Different Kind of Business Opportunity: ‘The W-2 World Doesn’t Hold the Same Allure’

The future belongs to the flexible

The game has changed. Startups aren’t won by those who work the longest hours or chase the biggest valuations. They’re won by those who lead with intention, build with empathy and adapt with the times.

If you’re still building the way we used to, it’s time to evolve. The future belongs to founders who listen more, assume less and build not just for their users, but with them.

Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

Today’s leaders are expected to speak up — not just for business, but for society. According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer, 73% of people believe CEOs should step in when governments fail, and 68% feel empowered to pressure organizations into change. This isn’t just about leadership — it’s about leverage. Public expectations are high, and the cost of silence or missteps can be steep.

Thought leadership now exists in a landscape of hypervisibility. Social media amplifies every comment, every slip. There are no warning shots — just consequences.

So where does that leave leaders? Caught between the demand to lead and the fear of being “cancelled.”

This article explores how cancel culture is reshaping the rules of engagement—and how modern leaders can navigate it with clarity, credibility and confidence.

Related: Cancel Culture Is Lazy. We Need Revision Culture Instead.

Understanding cancel culture

At its core, cancel culture is amplified public accountability. It’s the collective decision to disengage from individuals or organizations seen as offensive or unethical. Social media often fuels the outrage, which can quickly damage reputations and opportunities.

Some see it as justice. Others, as mob rule. A 2022 Pew Research Center study revealed a divide: 58% believe calling out others promotes accountability, while 38% see it as unfair punishment.

It’s a tense environment for leaders. Share an opinion and risk backlash. Stay silent and risk irrelevance. That hesitation is reshaping thought leadership—and not for the better.

Leadership voices on thin ice

Public sentiment shifts fast. What’s acceptable today might spark outrage tomorrow. That unpredictability keeps leaders in the crosshairs. As a result, many opt for silence —but that’s risky too. Diluted ideas turn thought leadership into thought followership: safe, bland and forgettable.

The real risk isn’t saying the wrong thing. It’s saying nothing at all. Modern leadership requires clarity, conviction and the courage to speak from a foundation of values and insight—even as the ground shifts beneath you.

Cancel culture and B2B: the hidden impact

Cancel culture headlines usually spotlight consumer brands, but the effect in B2B is quieter and more insidious.

Imagine this: Business A approaches Business B for a promising deal. Then, Business A backs out over a years-old tweet from Business B’s founder. No press, no hashtags — just a lost opportunity behind closed doors.

This is micro cancel culture. And for smaller companies without the PR or legal teams to manage reputation risks, it creates serious vulnerability.

The result? Companies start choosing “safe” over smart. Innovation suffers. Integrity is replaced with risk aversion.

Related: Here’s the No. 1 Thing Brands Can Do to Avoid Public Outrage and Cancel Culture

Cancel-proof thought leadership strategies

In today’s climate, it’s not just what you say — it’s how, when and why. Here’s how to lead with courage and credibility:

Embrace a micro-program strategy: Skip rigid campaigns that age fast. Break bold ideas into short, agile pieces that can evolve with current events. Test messaging early and often.

Stay true to your values: Speak up only on issues that align with your mission. A 2023 Weber Shandwick study found one-third of consumers believe companies should only take stands when it’s relevant to their business.

Balance instinct with inclusion: Speed matters, but so does perspective. Build diverse voices into your decision-making process and vet your partnerships carefully.

Use research as a shield and spotlight: Data makes bold ideas harder to dismiss. Root your opinions in real-world research and trend analysis to shift the conversation from emotion to evidence.

Own your mistakes—fast: Perfection isn’t required. Accountability is. PwC reports 38% of consumers will forgive a brand that apologizes and takes action. Act quickly, correct transparently and move forward.

Final thoughts

Cancel culture isn’t going anywhere. Public expectations around business responsibility are only rising. The real challenge for leaders isn’t avoiding controversy — it’s staying relevant and trustworthy in a shifting world. Let values guide your message. Let data back it up. Let courage drive it forward.

Cancel culture can feel like a threat — but it can also serve as a filter that pushes leadership toward greater clarity, integrity and long-term credibility.

The goal isn’t to dodge scrutiny. It’s to build a brand that can withstand it.

Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

Smart professionals aren’t just learning to use AI — they’re using it to take back their time. If your day is filled with repetitive tasks, disjointed workflows, or too many tools that don’t talk to each other, this ChatGPT and Automation E-Degree could be the pivot point you need.

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In the current business climate, adaptability can be considered currency. Whether you’re a small-business owner trying to understand your next move, a founder moonlighting as your own IT team, or a manager building out a marketing department on a budget, one thing’s clear: learning is no longer optional. It’s your ongoing edge.

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For every one dollar businesses invest in public relations (PR), they earn an average of $5.50 back in media coverage. For this reason and more, major corporations consider PR indispensable.

PR can make a big difference for companies and organizations of all sizes, however. As consumers’ trust in traditional advertising and marketing has waned, PR has emerged as a vital part of strategic business communications. This is especially true at key moments in an organization’s development, such as in the months before launching a new enterprise, product or service.

The problem with traditional advertising and marketing

Research has shown that customers today are much more skeptical of advertising and marketing campaigns than their predecessors. According to a December 2024 report from YouGov, 53% of survey participants said ads are a waste of time, and 52% said they don’t trust TV ads.

The distrust is particularly marked among members of the younger generations. A Connect by Live Nation survey recently discovered that only one in four of these customers say they trust brands. Instead, they want transparency, authenticity and realness.

Luckily, PR offers exactly that kind of transparent, authentic and honest approach that today’s consumers crave.

Related: How to Master Public Relations and Build Lasting Trust in a Changing World

PR’s unique approach to strategic communications

PR can disarm the cynical and build trust with target audiences. Instead of paying to put self-interested messages in front of people, PR earns the media’s attention by offering legitimate value to readers, viewers and listeners.

PR professionals have many different strategies for attracting this media coverage. Much of it comes down to staying on top of the news cycle, having an in-depth understanding of clients’ areas of expertise and building relationships with journalists and editors. Publicists then combine these factors to create opportunities to shine the spotlight on their clients.

For instance, when a hurricane has just ravaged a community, publicists understand that many members of the public will be worried about the prospect of losing their own homes in another such event. The publicists can take advantage of this opportunity by offering to allow journalists to interview their clients who specialize in insurance. This gives the client a chance to explain how homeowners can best protect their property before a storm.

While the client never explicitly promotes their own insurance products in their commentary, the fact that they are willing to take the time to be helpful and offer guidance reflects well on them and their company. Being featured in the media also enhances their search engine optimization (SEO), which means search engines are likely to rank them higher in online search results.

This is just one example — the important thing is that talented publicists understand how to pique the media’s interest in their clients at any given time.

Related: 5 Common Misconceptions About Public Relations

Why PR makes a difference

This sort of media appearance or mention — often called “earned media” — is very different from a promotional ad. It offers education, knowledge, expertise and goodwill toward the public, not an attempt to sell something to them.

Yet, PR is also an effective way to promote clients’ products and services. The company’s valuable advice and ethical behavior create a positive connection with viewers. Doing PR fosters trust, which can pay off when members of the audience seek to purchase a relevant product or service later.

Indeed, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer, survey respondents identify earned media as a better way to win their trust than any other kind of marketing. As the same study also reports, industry experts are trusted more than any other source, including peers, celebrities, and influencers.

The combination of authority and empathy is a winning one. That’s the combination PR offers. As a result, studies show that PR has a positive impact on the bottom line.

ALSO READ: How You Can Leverage These PR Strategies to Build Your Company’s Credibility and Trust — Even When Under Attack

PR buoys the bottom line

A 2020 survey showed that, after hearing about a product on a podcast, 64% of listeners visited the company’s website, and 55% ended up purchasing the item. Meanwhile, 70% of those same people said they fast-forward through ads.

According to research and advisory firm Forrester, companies that garner earned media can generate as many as 20 times more leads than those that only pay for advertising.

As these numbers show, PR buoys businesses at any given time. Yet there are also key moments when it’s even more important to do PR.

The right time to do PR

Studies indicate that PR makes a particular difference at certain times in their development. Doing PR in the months leading up to the launch of a new product, service or business helps the enterprise take off better than advertising.

My own experience bears out these conclusions. For instance, one of my PR agency’s clients — an anti-aging wellness center — was worried that no one would show up to their grand opening. We reached out to influencers based in his community and sent media advisories to local news outlets and the Chamber of Commerce, which promoted the event on its own social media accounts. This created buzz, and as a result, the grand opening was packed with people, many of whom booked appointments.

Again, this is just one example. Basically, PR introduces people to new products, services and businesses more effectively than advertising because it mobilizes third parties that are considered more trustworthy than a brand would be itself.

PR delivers results

While every company stands to benefit from cultivating trust with consumers, doing PR is particularly important for new companies and businesses that foresee launching new products or services in the coming year. For the best results, be proactive and start well in advance. This will give your PR team time to strategize, do market research, and create the key connections necessary for optimal outcomes.

Major corporations engage in PR because it delivers results. That’s why businesses of all sizes should do so, too.

Ready to break through your revenue ceiling? Join us at Level Up, a conference for ambitious business leaders to unlock new growth opportunities.

At the end of 2024, Intel had 108,900 employees. Now the chipmaking giant is planning to cut over 33,000 jobs to cut the workforce to 75,000 employees by the end of the year.

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, 65, said in a memo to staff on Thursday that Intel is implementing a plan to reduce its workforce by 15%. The layoffs are in addition to the approximately 21,000 roles (about 20% of Intel’s workforce) the company let go from April to June, which mainly focused on cutting down layers of middle management.

Intel previously announced in August that it was laying off 15% of its workforce, or over 15,000 employees, last year.

Related: Intel Requires Employees to Work From the Office More Often: ‘This Action Is Necessary’

In its second-quarter earnings report released on Thursday, Intel reported a sixth consecutive quarterly loss of $2.9 billion, nearly double its $1.6 billion loss at the same time a year earlier. The increased loss was mainly due to restructuring costs of $1.9 billion due to job cuts.

Tan stated in a conference call with analysts and investors following the report that over the past three months, he had completed “a systematic review” of Intel’s headcount and spending.

“Our goal is to reduce inefficiencies and redundancies and increase accountability at every level of the company,” Tan stated on the call. “We need to right-size and scale back the company.”

^{Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan. Photographer: Annabelle Chih/Bloomberg via Getty Images}

Tan, who was previously CEO of chip software company Cadence Design Systems from 2009 to 2021, is now tasked with turning Intel around after three years of declining revenue. He became Intel’s CEO on March 18, replacing former CEO Pat Gelsinger.

Intel faces competition from rival companies like Nvidia, which captured a greater share of the AI chip market. Nvidia had between 70% and 95% of the market share for AI chips last year, compared to Intel’s less than 1%, per CNBC.

Related: How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Transformed a Graphics Card Company Into an AI Giant: ‘One of the Most Remarkable Business Pivots in History’

However, Intel is trying to catch up. The company plans to launch more efficient chips later this year to better compete with Nvidia and other rivals, per The Wall Street Journal.

Intel stock was down over 7% this past month, but up nearly 2% year-to-date.

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