Ricky Sutton
@rickysutton.bsky.social
Father, Innovator, Author of Future Media, Speaker.
More than 4,000 executives from the world's top 700 news, tech and marketing brands follow my newsletter.
Future Media reports on the collision of Big Tech and media and the emergence of the AI era.
More than 4,000 executives from the world's top 700 news, tech and marketing brands follow my newsletter.
Future Media reports on the collision of Big Tech and media and the emergence of the AI era.
After an 18 month investigation, the numbers are in, and they’re mindblowing!
The AI pact that transformed Reddit into a $39 billion rocketship
#410: Plus, Apple exec might be headed for jail, US carmaker deletes CarPlay, Google yanks AI over false Senator sex claims, and come join Scotch&Watch live...
open.substack.com
November 5, 2025 at 8:30 AM
After an 18 month investigation, the numbers are in, and they’re mindblowing!
The Scotch & Watch World Tour rolled into Madrid as we took the rage on stage and brought the heat. 🇪🇸🔥🥃
It was standing room only as we shared hot takes and bold predictions on media, tech, and AI with OpenAI, The NY Times, The Atlantic, Time, Semafor, and more.
It was standing room only as we shared hot takes and bold predictions on media, tech, and AI with OpenAI, The NY Times, The Atlantic, Time, Semafor, and more.
The AI Reboot: Nine pointers for publishers to win the next decade
#406: Plus, Apple maps its ad future, Meta discovers it can help kids, Australia backs creators, TikTok's fined over data failures, and Chinese humanoids go on sale...
open.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:06 AM
The Scotch & Watch World Tour rolled into Madrid as we took the rage on stage and brought the heat. 🇪🇸🔥🥃
It was standing room only as we shared hot takes and bold predictions on media, tech, and AI with OpenAI, The NY Times, The Atlantic, Time, Semafor, and more.
It was standing room only as we shared hot takes and bold predictions on media, tech, and AI with OpenAI, The NY Times, The Atlantic, Time, Semafor, and more.
I just presented a huge idea to the board of global publisher industry group FIPP in Madrid. If they take it, it’ll change the trajectory of media.
After a year of tech-tonic shifts, how about this as a big idea...
#403: Plus, OpenAI launches a browser, Netflix sinks on earnings, Apple laps Disney, RayBans soar on Meta vision, and three letters that unlocked AI...
open.substack.com
October 22, 2025 at 7:56 AM
I just presented a huge idea to the board of global publisher industry group FIPP in Madrid. If they take it, it’ll change the trajectory of media.
Big post on the invisible menace that's locking up most of the web. open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
The splinternet is here as AI and FOMO makes bits start to bite
#398: Two-thirds of the planet now lives behind data borders. For global media, the challenge isn’t scale any more - it’s smarter thinking...
open.substack.com
October 13, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Big post on the invisible menace that's locking up most of the web. open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
Who's being taken for a ride here?
Google asks court to allow its AI a free ride on Maps and YouTube
#394: The search giant argues the AI market is still forming and its rivals are bundling already, but the judge fears it could spawn a new monopoly...
open.substack.com
October 10, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Who's being taken for a ride here?
This looks like a signal for how readers will be able to interrogate the news in the future...
WaPo challenges ChatGPT in the AI conversation game
#387: I tested Ask The Post on America’s debt crisis. The results were sharp, sourced - and a glimpse of how we’ll interrogate the news in future...
open.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 3:56 AM
This looks like a signal for how readers will be able to interrogate the news in the future...
Google’s a 3x monopolist and Judge Leonie Brinkema will deliver a ruling before Christmas that will determine the economics and direction of global digital advertising.
Yesterday, the final word went to Matthew Wheatland of The Daily Mail. He’s no mug, and that’s why he didn’t miss...
Yesterday, the final word went to Matthew Wheatland of The Daily Mail. He’s no mug, and that’s why he didn’t miss...
After 987 days and $823 billion, Google’s fate rests with one judge
#391: Judge Leonie Brinkema will now decide whether to dismantle Google or trust it to reform itself - a choice that will decide the economics of publishing...
open.substack.com
October 7, 2025 at 3:38 AM
Google’s a 3x monopolist and Judge Leonie Brinkema will deliver a ruling before Christmas that will determine the economics and direction of global digital advertising.
Yesterday, the final word went to Matthew Wheatland of The Daily Mail. He’s no mug, and that’s why he didn’t miss...
Yesterday, the final word went to Matthew Wheatland of The Daily Mail. He’s no mug, and that’s why he didn’t miss...
This is the post that began it all. The world first study into the impact of AI Overviews revealing unseen data on its impact as it passed from beta trial to traffic killer.
The data within is now the backbone of an EU action to compensate publishers for the damage.
The data within is now the backbone of an EU action to compensate publishers for the damage.
World first study reveals who Google's AI search hurts most
A months-long investigation with five global publishers shows how news traffic will be impacted by Google's new AI Overviews...
open.substack.com
October 5, 2025 at 10:25 AM
This is the post that began it all. The world first study into the impact of AI Overviews revealing unseen data on its impact as it passed from beta trial to traffic killer.
The data within is now the backbone of an EU action to compensate publishers for the damage.
The data within is now the backbone of an EU action to compensate publishers for the damage.
Has newsletter veteran Sam Shedden hit on an answer to reviving local news using Substack?
Maybe local news ain't dead, it just needs to be in your inbox
#389: Am I imagining it, or is there a buzz around hyper-local news again? Signs of a recovery seem to be emerging on Substack and Nextdoor...
open.substack.com
October 5, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Has newsletter veteran Sam Shedden hit on an answer to reviving local news using Substack?
In August 1973, a masked gunman stormed into a bank and fired a machinegun into the ceiling.
It escalated into a six-day siege that would change psychology, policing, and the English language forever.
Yesterday, we saw a frightened publisher do the same thing at the Google break-up trial…
It escalated into a six-day siege that would change psychology, policing, and the English language forever.
Yesterday, we saw a frightened publisher do the same thing at the Google break-up trial…
Stockholm Syndrome takes the stand at Google break-up
#388: In 1973, a young bank teller shielded a robber from snipers and changed psychology forever. We saw a publisher do it again yesterday...
open.substack.com
October 3, 2025 at 5:42 AM
In August 1973, a masked gunman stormed into a bank and fired a machinegun into the ceiling.
It escalated into a six-day siege that would change psychology, policing, and the English language forever.
Yesterday, we saw a frightened publisher do the same thing at the Google break-up trial…
It escalated into a six-day siege that would change psychology, policing, and the English language forever.
Yesterday, we saw a frightened publisher do the same thing at the Google break-up trial…
The world has many great mysteries. Big Foot. The Bermuda Triangle. Why autocorrect thinks my name’s Ticky. And why Google’s ad avails are always so very wrong.
Yesterday, in court, Google was finally forced to try to explain itself, under oath, with a US$790 billion digital ad empire on the line.
Yesterday, in court, Google was finally forced to try to explain itself, under oath, with a US$790 billion digital ad empire on the line.
Finally! Why Google ad avails vanish just when newsrooms need them
#386: Google just testified that it's helping publishers to hit campaign goals, but the real-world experience suggests the game is rigged...
open.substack.com
October 1, 2025 at 6:26 AM
The world has many great mysteries. Big Foot. The Bermuda Triangle. Why autocorrect thinks my name’s Ticky. And why Google’s ad avails are always so very wrong.
Yesterday, in court, Google was finally forced to try to explain itself, under oath, with a US$790 billion digital ad empire on the line.
Yesterday, in court, Google was finally forced to try to explain itself, under oath, with a US$790 billion digital ad empire on the line.
Chris and I dive into two trials chasing the same goal: Cracking open Google’s black box.
If you depend on ads for monetisation on the open web, these will decide your future.
And the kicker? Google’s already whispering that the open web is dead. We’re here to find out if that’s true...
If you depend on ads for monetisation on the open web, these will decide your future.
And the kicker? Google’s already whispering that the open web is dead. We’re here to find out if that’s true...
How Google's eight million ads a second add up to nonsense
#385: How a fake Viking, a champion karaoke singer, an 81-year-old judge and a giant bureaucracy are trying to return sense to digital advertising...
open.substack.com
October 1, 2025 at 1:31 AM
Chris and I dive into two trials chasing the same goal: Cracking open Google’s black box.
If you depend on ads for monetisation on the open web, these will decide your future.
And the kicker? Google’s already whispering that the open web is dead. We’re here to find out if that’s true...
If you depend on ads for monetisation on the open web, these will decide your future.
And the kicker? Google’s already whispering that the open web is dead. We’re here to find out if that’s true...
The US Department of Justice is locked in courtroom theatre trying to convince a judge to dismantle Google's ad monopoly.
But Europe isn’t bothering with theatrics. It's passed laws that mean it doesn’t need to wait.
The deadline is November 5. Bonfire night. A date famed for delivering fireworks.
But Europe isn’t bothering with theatrics. It's passed laws that mean it doesn’t need to wait.
The deadline is November 5. Bonfire night. A date famed for delivering fireworks.
Fireworks ahead as Europe jumps the gun on Google break-up
#383: Brussels issues a November 5 deadline on fixing ad tech, sparking a geopolitical storm which could split the world wide web...
open.substack.com
September 26, 2025 at 3:41 AM
The US Department of Justice is locked in courtroom theatre trying to convince a judge to dismantle Google's ad monopoly.
But Europe isn’t bothering with theatrics. It's passed laws that mean it doesn’t need to wait.
The deadline is November 5. Bonfire night. A date famed for delivering fireworks.
But Europe isn’t bothering with theatrics. It's passed laws that mean it doesn’t need to wait.
The deadline is November 5. Bonfire night. A date famed for delivering fireworks.
The future of digital advertising and whether publishers or Big Tech get the spoils is now being decided by a judge...
Google's ad text fix is "a Band-Aid on a severed limb"
#376: The future of digital advertising and whether publishers or Big Tech get the spoils is now being decided by a judge...
open.substack.com
September 23, 2025 at 3:20 AM
The future of digital advertising and whether publishers or Big Tech get the spoils is now being decided by a judge...
Most lawyers have been cautious about their feelings following Google’s soft verdict after losing the search antitrust trial.
Former FTC and DoJ enforcer John Newman hasn’t. He’s been outspoken and unequivocal. And he has some suggestions…
Former FTC and DoJ enforcer John Newman hasn’t. He’s been outspoken and unequivocal. And he has some suggestions…
It's time to pull a dusty legal bomb out of the basement...
#375: DOJ and FTC veteran John Newman hasn't minced words about Google’s monopoly in search. Now he shares how victims can strike back...
open.substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 3:03 AM
Most lawyers have been cautious about their feelings following Google’s soft verdict after losing the search antitrust trial.
Former FTC and DoJ enforcer John Newman hasn’t. He’s been outspoken and unequivocal. And he has some suggestions…
Former FTC and DoJ enforcer John Newman hasn’t. He’s been outspoken and unequivocal. And he has some suggestions…
Two Meta safety researchers have warned a US Senate committee that it covered up child harms in its VR products.
Here, the former director of Horizon Worlds tells me what really goes on behind the social media’s marketing spin…
Here, the former director of Horizon Worlds tells me what really goes on behind the social media’s marketing spin…
Meta's misogynistic culture puts kids at risk, warns insider
#345: A director who worked on Zuck's Metaverse claims execs treat perverts preying on kids as "a distraction from business goals"...
open.substack.com
September 13, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Two Meta safety researchers have warned a US Senate committee that it covered up child harms in its VR products.
Here, the former director of Horizon Worlds tells me what really goes on behind the social media’s marketing spin…
Here, the former director of Horizon Worlds tells me what really goes on behind the social media’s marketing spin…
Ten tech giants on the S&P are now worth more than the other 490 combined.
Now a court’s decision not to break-up Google has handed it the key to the AI future, risking a Big Tech bubble.
If it bursts, the impact will destroy one in eight jobs.
This is how.
open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
Now a court’s decision not to break-up Google has handed it the key to the AI future, risking a Big Tech bubble.
If it bursts, the impact will destroy one in eight jobs.
This is how.
open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
AI monopolies kneecap the economy, risk one in eight news jobs
#372: Google’s monopoly swerve sent Wall Street into overdrive. With Apple riding shotgun, the entire economy now hang on their whims...
open.substack.com
September 11, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Ten tech giants on the S&P are now worth more than the other 490 combined.
Now a court’s decision not to break-up Google has handed it the key to the AI future, risking a Big Tech bubble.
If it bursts, the impact will destroy one in eight jobs.
This is how.
open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
Now a court’s decision not to break-up Google has handed it the key to the AI future, risking a Big Tech bubble.
If it bursts, the impact will destroy one in eight jobs.
This is how.
open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
The antitrust chief who nailed Google as a 3x monopolist has spoken.
"Google would be unwise to declare victory. The game isn’t over," he said.
"Later this month, a court will decide whether Google’s ad system should be broken up. That’s another wide-open shot. My advice: Shoot the damn puck."
"Google would be unwise to declare victory. The game isn’t over," he said.
"Later this month, a court will decide whether Google’s ad system should be broken up. That’s another wide-open shot. My advice: Shoot the damn puck."
You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don't take - Kanter
#371: Weak remedies have left Google strong but appeals and the looming ad-tech ruling can still come to the rescue of publishers...
open.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 2:00 AM
The antitrust chief who nailed Google as a 3x monopolist has spoken.
"Google would be unwise to declare victory. The game isn’t over," he said.
"Later this month, a court will decide whether Google’s ad system should be broken up. That’s another wide-open shot. My advice: Shoot the damn puck."
"Google would be unwise to declare victory. The game isn’t over," he said.
"Later this month, a court will decide whether Google’s ad system should be broken up. That’s another wide-open shot. My advice: Shoot the damn puck."
Two courts. Two rulings. One winner, and a clusterf*ck for the rest of the world.
WTF is the law now on monopoly, rights, and wrong?
#370: Three-time monopoly Google just walked away Scot free for banking trillions from crime. Now loss-making upstart Anthropic gets a record fine. Eh???
open.substack.com
September 7, 2025 at 1:35 AM
Two courts. Two rulings. One winner, and a clusterf*ck for the rest of the world.
🚨 About to go live: Chris Duncan and I on Scotch & Watch diving into the Google search ruling. lnkd.in/gb_ZCkgT
What’s at stake? Just journalism, AI, democracy… and the future.
What’s at stake? Just journalism, AI, democracy… and the future.
September 5, 2025 at 6:42 AM
🚨 About to go live: Chris Duncan and I on Scotch & Watch diving into the Google search ruling. lnkd.in/gb_ZCkgT
What’s at stake? Just journalism, AI, democracy… and the future.
What’s at stake? Just journalism, AI, democracy… and the future.
Who would’ve thought the seven-year trial over Google’s $2 trillion monopoly would come down a frog and two lily pads…
Judge spares Chrome and leaves publishers stranded
#369: The verdict shields its ad billions, validates content lifting for AI, and shortens the timeline to Google Zero. It's just brutal as usual...
open.substack.com
September 4, 2025 at 4:44 AM
Who would’ve thought the seven-year trial over Google’s $2 trillion monopoly would come down a frog and two lily pads…
The sneaky $26 billion backroom deal between Apple and Google is about to be unwound, and it'll shoot a 17.5 per cent hole in Apple's profits.
It will impact all of us too because Apple needs a new route to direct 400 billion search queries a year from iPhone users.
It will impact all of us too because Apple needs a new route to direct 400 billion search queries a year from iPhone users.
The rev share Google pays Apple for default is 36% of total revenue
Witness reveals the secret advertising revenue share number that Google pays its rival Apple to have its search locked in on iPhone and Safari
open.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 5:52 AM
The sneaky $26 billion backroom deal between Apple and Google is about to be unwound, and it'll shoot a 17.5 per cent hole in Apple's profits.
It will impact all of us too because Apple needs a new route to direct 400 billion search queries a year from iPhone users.
It will impact all of us too because Apple needs a new route to direct 400 billion search queries a year from iPhone users.
Death by design: The murder that could break Meta's algo
open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
August 27, 2025 at 3:01 AM
Death by design: The murder that could break Meta's algo
open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
open.substack.com/pub/rickysut...
You've heard the scandal about how Meta's training its AI. Now hear it from a Meta director turned whistleblower in her own words...
We’re letting algos rewrite how children learn about intimacy - insider
#367: An ex-Meta director reveals the truth about how Meta trains its AI, including flirting with children, and glorifying violence...
open.substack.com
August 18, 2025 at 5:45 AM
You've heard the scandal about how Meta's training its AI. Now hear it from a Meta director turned whistleblower in her own words...
Is Perplexity a real contender to buy Google Chrome?
Q: Is Perplexity a real contender to buy Google Chrome?
#366: AI wannabe Perplexity made a US$34 billion bid to buy Google’s dominant web browser Chrome this week. Here's the skinny on its chances...
open.substack.com
August 15, 2025 at 1:11 AM
Is Perplexity a real contender to buy Google Chrome?