Community | University 

Feb 19, 2026

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. How affiliate marketing powers AI search and creator commerce
   (Affiliate links quietly funding the AI era)

2. Reload wants to give your AI agents a shared memory
   (This is how AI teams stop acting like strangers)

3. SeatGeek and Spotify team up to offer concert ticket sales
   (From playlist to purchase in one scroll)

The Growth joke of the day

Why did the AI start recommending products?
Because even algorithms need affiliate income now.

3-Minute News Bulletin with Roxie

This week's 🙌 News Bulletin explores:
Austin Startups and AI Innovation Lead Today’s Top Business Headlines

This week’s News Bulletin spotlights the forces reshaping innovation, AI investment, and digital marketing.

From female-led startups driving Austin’s rise as a tech powerhouse to India’s $200B AI infrastructure push, capital and leadership are accelerating global competition. In marketing, “invisible engagement” signals like saves and private shares are redefining how brands measure impact, while AI-driven search and shopping ads continue to disrupt traditional traffic and PPC models.

The signal is clear: growth now lives at the intersection of AI infrastructure, smarter metrics, and evolving platform power dynamics.

What's New in Growth Hacking/Growth Marketing?

Strategies

• Airbnb says AI chatbot traffic converts better than Google
  Early signals from Airbnb suggest visitors arriving via AI assistants are more likely to book, hinting at a major shift in how high intent traffic is discovered and measured.

• Google adds music-generation capabilities to the Gemini app
  Google announced on Wednesday that it’s adding a music-generation feature to the Gemini app. The company is using DeepMind’s Lyria 3 music-generation model to power the feature, which is still in beta.

• A startup called Germ becomes the first private messenger that launches directly from Bluesky’s app
  Here’s something that you’ve never seen on Big Tech social platforms: The decentralized open social network Bluesky has integrated new technology from a startup called Germ Network in order to bring end-to-end encrypted (E2E) messaging to the Bluesky app.

• Meta Announces Long-Term Partnership With Nvidia
  Meta has announced a new, multi-year partnership with NVIDIA, which will see NVIDIA provide Meta with essential hardware to power its evolving artificial intelligence datacenters and expand Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of an AI-powered future.

• PepsiCo’s first creator-led product launch reimagines chips for
  Gen Z
  The CPG giant teamed with Madison Beer, iShowSpeed and Dude Perfect on products meant to shrink the distance between creator content, culture and checkout.

  ___________________________________________________________

People

Not many movements from our fellow Senior Growth Marketers today 🫠 

OUR NEXT EPISODE IS LIVE
GrowthHackers🎙️

A Founder’s Journey in Microscope

In this episode, we sit down with Jack, the 22-year-old founder of ARK-STEM — the global community and marketplace built by STEM lovers, for STEM lovers.

ARK-STEM is a dedicated platform where makers, engineers, and innovators can share projects, collaborate, sell inventions, and preserve what they build in a way that’s deeper and more enduring than fleeting social posts or video snippets.

Jack opens up about his journey from a young tinkerer to launching a platform that bridges community, creativity, and commerce.

Are you ready?

What's New in Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

• The competition for brand visibility has moved to AI search
  High-maturity brands spend nearly twice as much on GEO as their peers. Here’s what it takes to win visibility in AI search before competitors become the default answer.

• Brand is the decision in B2B, and AI decides first
  AI forms brand perception upstream, long before buyers see your positioning. Consistent delivery across every touchpoint is now the differentiator.

What Will Your Retirement Look Like?

Planning for retirement raises many questions. Have you considered how much it will cost, and how you’ll generate the income you’ll need to pay for it? For many, these questions can feel overwhelming, but answering them is a crucial step forward for a comfortable future.

Start by understanding your goals, estimating your expenses and identifying potential income streams. The Definitive Guide to Retirement Income can help you navigate these essential questions. If you have $1,000,000 or more saved for retirement, download your free guide today to learn how to build a clear and effective retirement income plan. Discover ways to align your portfolio with your long-term goals, so you can reach the future you deserve.

Get The Guide