Community | University 

Nov 20, 2025

Hello, GrowthHackers! 

Welcome to your daily unfair advantage.

Every morning, we cut through the noise to bring you sharp insights, fast news, and fresh sparks to light up your brain and fuel your hustle. From scrappy hacks to big tech moves, AI shifts to culture flips this is your intel to stay ahead, move fast, and break boring.

Think of it as your growth-fueled espresso shot.
Short. Smart. Addictive.

Let’s dive in.👇

Quick Hits

1. Adobe to Acquire Semrush
   (Adobe collecting marketing tools like Infinity Stones.)

2. AI Hacks AI: Cybercriminals Unleash An AI-Powered, Self-Replicating Botnet
   (Self-replicating botnets? Yeah, unplug the internet.)

3. Google’s new Scholar Labs search uses AI to find relevant studies
   (Finally, research without crying)

The Growth joke of the day

Why did the AI break up with its dataset?
Because it felt like the relationship had too much training and not enough validation.

3-Minute News Bulletin with Roxie

This week's 🙌 News Bulletin explores:
Cloudflare Outage, Waymo Robotaxis, and Major Tech Shifts Shape Digital Landscape

This week in growth is stacked.

A massive Cloudflare outage reminded everyone just how fragile the internet really is, taking down giants like ChatGPT, Spotify, and X in one sweep. Meanwhile, Waymo is officially driving solo in Miami, pushing autonomous ride-sharing closer to everyday reality.

AI-fueled creator marketing is heating up as Agentio raises $40M to scale its cross-platform marketplace, and Meta finally gives creators stronger armor with automatic Reel content protection across Facebook and Instagram. Google also rolled out full Gemini 3 integration into Search, leveling up AI-driven reasoning and visuals just as marketers shift their attention to generative engine optimization to stay visible in AI-native search results.

Over on Snapchat, Topic Chats are opening the door to massive real-time conversations moderated by LLMs, while Meta celebrates a major antitrust win that clears the path for more innovation across its platforms.

It’s a big week for AI, creators, and brand visibility and the future of growth is getting sharper, smarter, and a lot more real-time.

What's New in Growth Hacking/Growth Marketing?

Strategies

• Google’s Old Search Era Is Over – Here’s What 2026 SEO Will Really Look Like

  Explores how SEO and digital discovery are changing due to AI systems, fragmented channels, and demand for trustworthy, human-generated content. Advises marketers to focus on multi-platform strategies and audience trust to win in the new AI-powered search era.

• TikTok Adds New Mental Health and Well-Being Resources In-App

  TikTok introduces new platform features focused on healthy usage: meditation, affirmation journals, sound generators, and “Well-being Missions” to encourage mindful app behavior. Aimed at improving user experience and addressing mental health, particularly for younger demographics.

• Subletting startup Kiki paid over $152K to settle charges after violating NYC short-term rental laws

  Kiki, a peer-to-peer sublet startup, is punished for violating NYC's strict short-term rental regulations, highlighting the risks of aggressive growth tactics that overlook legal compliance, an important growth marketing lesson for platforms expanding to new cities or countries.
  

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People

• Meta chief AI scientist Yann LeCun is leaving to create his own startup

  Yann LeCun, known as one of the godfathers of modern artificial intelligence and one of the first AI visionaries to join Facebook, is leaving parent Meta.

Our next upcoming webinar

You sure you want to miss this one? 👀

The Future of Search is Conversation. ⚡️

In this session, with Theo we’ll dive into how brands can enhance their visibility within large language models (LLMs). We’ll start by defining brand visibility in the LLM landscape and then explore how AI overviews and modes shape search results.

We’ll discuss the nuances between branded and non-branded prompts and clarify the difference between monitoring LLMs versus actively engaging with them.

Additionally, we’ll cover the difference between SEO and GEO, and why GEO should not be treated as a standalone strategy.

📣 LIVE WEBINAR
📅 NOVEMBER 27, 2025
🕛 9AM PT - 12PM ET - 5PM GMT

What's New in Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

• YC-backed Poly relaunches as a cloud-hosted file storage with AI search

  Poly pivots from 3D asset creation to AI-powered cloud file storage with advanced search and organization features, competing with Dropbox and Google Drive. New tools include AI summaries, tagging, and insights for knowledge workers and creators.

• Legally embattled AI music startup Suno raises at $2.45B valuation on $200M revenue

  Suno, an AI platform enabling users to generate music via prompts, raises $250 million at a $2.45B valuation despite major ongoing legal battles over copyrighted training data. Revenue has soared as technological adoption outpaces regulatory frameworks.

74% of Companies Are Seeing ROI from AI

When your teams build AI tools with incomplete or inaccurate data, you lose both time and money. Projects stall, costs rise, and you don’t see the ROI your business needs. This leads to lost confidence and missed opportunities.

Bright Data connects your AI directly to real-time public web data, so your systems always work with complete, up-to-date information. No more wasted budget on fixes or slow rollouts. Your teams make faster decisions and launch projects with confidence, knowing their tools are built on a reliable data foundation. By removing data roadblocks, your investments start delivering measurable results.

You can trust your AI, reduce development headaches, and keep your focus on business growth and innovation.

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