DECODE - May 29, 2025
READ
How Publishers Will Regain the Home-Court Advantage (Little Black Book)
The platform era is ending, and publishers need to bring their audiences back home. Jessica Giles, Head of Code and Theory’s Media Experience practice, says it’s time to stop chasing clicks and start designing experiences so valuable that readers seek publishers out. That means embracing a product mindset: smarter user-centric design, richer storytelling and tools that turn content into utility. “It’s time to reverse the years we’ve spent conditioning readers to find us on someone else’s digital real estate. Now is when media reclaims its ground.” Read the article and schedule to meet with us in Cannes.
Warby Parker Debuts New AI Tool for Online Shoppers (Retail Touchpoints)
Warby Parker is making a bold push into the future of eyewear, reinventing how people shop for glasses — again. The brand partnered with Kettle to launch Advisor, a personalized in-app shopping tool that uses facial scans and style preferences to recommend frames, bringing the in-store experience to your phone. "This new AI-powered tool is just the beginning of a smarter, more personal way for customers to discover and shop," says Kettle CEO Lauren Kushner. At the same time, Warby is teaming up with Google to develop multimodal AI-powered smart glasses designed to rival Meta’s Ray-Bans. Read the article.
The New York Times’ First Generative AI Deal Is With Amazon (The Verge)
The New York Times just made a bold move into AI, inking its first licensing deal with Amazon. The agreement allows Amazon to use NYT editorial content, including articles, recipes and sports coverage, to train its AI platforms and enhance experiences across products like Alexa. It marks Amazon’s first deal of this kind and the Gray Lady’s first AI-focused licensing arrangement. “The deal is consistent with our long-held principle that high-quality journalism is worth paying for,” says The New York Times Company CEO Meredith Kopit Levien. Learn more.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai on the Future of Search, AI Agents and Selling Chrome (The Verge)
Google is sharing a new vision for search, shifting gears from research to real-world AI products. Alphabet Inc. CEO Sundar Pichai joins Nilay Patel on the Decoder podcast for a debrief on this year’s I/O conference. Pichai dove into Google’s AI-powered shift in search and how it impacts web traffic amid criticism from publishers, while making it clear: search stays “sacrosanct” even under political pressure. From smart glasses to the future of agents, he shares a candid look at how Google plans to redefine the web. Learn more. Learn more.
FAKE FACTS
Sarah Connor on high alert after Jony Ive's OpenAI team-up.
Rick Rubin to vibe code the next Chili Peppers album.
MEET
Meet Us at Cannes (Book a Meeting)
AI has led Cannes conversations for years. Experimentation is growing, but true transformation remains rare. That’s about to change. The next digital winners will think and build differently. Code and Theory joins Stagwell at Sport Beach — the hottest spot on the Croisette — for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June. It will be an incredible week of powerful conversations, workshops, open play and quality connections among athletes, brands and agencies. Book a meeting with us now.