Microblogging platform X will now allow users to limit replies to verified users. Elon Musk had announced this move on May 5, in an attempt to avoid spams and bots.


Taking to X, where he replied to a post put out by DogeDesigner on the latest update, he said, “This will improve the quality of your replies.”


In the last few months, as per a media report, there was a rise in spam and porn bots which led to an increase in fake accounts.


X's decline in user engagement might be fuelling LinkedIn's rise as a platform for social discussions. Traditionally known for professional networking, LinkedIn is witnessing a surge in activity with thought leaders especially corporates across board engaging in conversations on diverse topics be it marketing, advertising, funding winter or job losses.


When Meta launched Threads, an online social media and social networking service, in July 2023, there was speculation it would dethrone X. While that discussion trended for a while, it fizzled out.


Ironically, it wasn't Threads, but LinkedIn that emerged as a surprising contender.


Research from data analytics platform SimilarWeb supports this shift. According to them, as of March 2024, LinkedIn’s web traffic grew by 10.6 percent year-over-year. On the other hand, X saw a decline of 15.2 percent suggesting a potential migration of users.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-marketing/is-linkedin-emerging-as-a-bigger-threat-than-threads-for-x-30797.htm">Is LinkedIn emerging as a bigger threat than Threads for X?</a>

X to limit replies to verified users only

Billionaire Elon Musk said that this move is an attempt to avoid spams and bots.

After Hong Kong and Singapore, Nepal bans MDH, Everest

TRAI to mull views on regulations for apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, X, Instagram

Viacom18 - Star India deal: NCLT admits merger scheme

BARC appoints Dr Bikramjit Chaudhuri as its new chief of measurement science and analytics

Wipro appoints Sanjeev Jain as chief operating officer

Tata Technologies' Santosh Singh: Work-life balance is enjoying what I do during work and after work

Representational image via Unsplash

Zee-Sony merger saga ends: Timeline of the failed merger

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Shweta Jain joins Leela Group as chief marketing and sales officer

Shweta Jain joins The Leela Group as the chief marketing and sales officer

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Is Ajmera Group the brand behind the tragic ad hoarding collapse in Mumbai?

Piyush Pandey

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Credibility of news and platforms are as important as monetisation challenges: Anurag Thakur

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The Leader's Edge: Storyboard18 in conversation with leaders, decision makers and disruptors

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Storyboard18 x The English Nut: How to pronounce these 10 brand names

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In conversation with VMLY&R’s Hari Ramanathan

Over-the-top (OTT) communication apps such as WhatsApp, X, Facebook, Instagram and Signal may come under a regulatory regime as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) mulls recommendations on whether they need to be regulated or not. In a recently passed telecom act, the government had kept these services out of the regulatory regime. 

In July 2023, TRAI released a consultation paper on the regulatory mechanism for OTT communication services and selective banning after the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) asked the agency to reconsider its 2020 recommendations. Back then, the telecom regulator had proposed that OTT services need not be regulated. But it had said it would relook at the issue later.

Newly appointed Chairman, Anil Kumar Lahoti was speaking at a symposium on 'Strengthening Atmanirbhar: Securing domestic industry and technology', this week. He was quoted as saying the regulator will proceed with the process of holding open house discussions in around three months or so, according to a Times Of India report. "I know, we have an ongoing consultation on OTT communication. It is just that in last few months we are burning the midnight oil, clearing the number of references pending with us, and OTT communication is also in the line," he said. 

The report added that Lahoti dismissed the suggestion on whether the telecom act has rendered OTT communication consultation paper infructuous. Lahoti said, "No, it is not like that."

As per the TOI report, Lahoti said, “The OTT consultation was initiated after the recommendation of a parliamentary committee so this consultation will be completed, and we will give our recommendations… which act it becomes a part of and which ministry or which regulator deals with it, is a separate matter.”

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/ott-news/trai-to-conduct-open-house-on-recommendations-on-regulatory-mechanism-for-ott-apps-31923.htm">Read more: TRAI to conduct open house on recommendations on regulatory mechanism for OTT apps</a>

Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) organised the ‘ONDC Startup Mahotsav’, a first of its kind event, on May 17, 2024, at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi. The event symbolized the celebration and collaboration of two of DPIIT’s flagship initiatives – the Startup India initiative and Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

Secretary, DPIIT, Rajesh Kumar Singh, underlined the Government's commitment to nurturing and encouraging ecosystem for startup growth and innovation. He said, “The ONDC Startup Mahotsav is an inflexion point for startups in India to leverage the opportunities unlocked by ONDC. The network has rapidly grown and matured over the past one and a half years, and today’s session reflects both the DPIIT’s and industry’s commitment to democratising digital commerce in India.”

The event witnessed participation of around 5,000 startups in hybrid mode. Over 125 ecosystem stakeholders including startups, unicorns and high growth businesses such as EaseMyTrip, OfBusiness, Winzo, Livspace, GlobalBees, Pristyn Care, Cars24, Physics Wallah, PolicyBazaar, and Zerodha, signed Letter of Intent (LoI) during the event. These LoIs signify the potential of ONDC and the eagerness of leading startups of the country to collaborate with the platform.

MD and CEO of ONDC, T. Koshy said, "The ONDC Startup Mahotsav marks a pivotal moment in India's digital transformation journey. By fostering collaboration and innovation within our ecosystem, we are empowering startups to redefine the rules of the game in e-commerce”.

The ‘ONDC Startup Mahotsav’ is a collaboration between the ONDC and the Startup India initiative. More than 5 lakh sellers have been onboarded on the platform, of which more than 70% are small or medium sized sellers. In April 2024, ONDC facilitated around 7.22 million transactions. To realise this, the ‘ONDC Startup Mahotsav’ was organized. With an effective association between the startups and the ONDC, a holistic growth of both the initiatives, the economy at large and opportunities to grow at scale are being unlocked.

The ONDC was launched in 2021 as a first-of-its-kind protocol, with a mission to democratize digital commerce. Today, ONDC is fully operational across India, with the digital infrastructure completed and rolled out to businesses and the public at large. ONDC lowers entry-barriers to digital commerce, and provides level playing ﬁeld for all e-commerce players, especially the small-scale businesses and those who have been digitally excluded. 

12 Unicorns, over 125 startups commit to onboarding ONDC

Nearly 40 Indian start-ups joined forces to pledge support to the draft Digital Competition Bill, yesterday while describing its proposed 'ex-ante' regulations as potential 'game-changer' in tackling the anti-competitive practices of big tech companies. Prominent names including Matrimony.com, TrulyMadly, Innov8, QuackQuack, Magicbricks, Hoichoi, and Medibuddy wrote to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) on the issue. The companies have urged the MCA to move forward with the bill at the earliest even as they accused the big tech players of often indulging in delay tactics.


This draws the battle line within the industry over provisions of the draft bill. The draft has rattled the big tech including Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Amazon— who are said to come under scrutiny as the DCB takes shape and could stop them from self-preferencing their services. These companies, globally, have been accused of anti-competitive practices for a long time. The proposed draft bill, which has taken a cue from the European regulatory handbook, has provisions to set presumptive norms to curb anti-competitive practices before they take place, and promises to impose heavy penalties for violations— which could go in billions of dollars. So, if this were to go into force, it could require these tech companies to make fundamental changes to their various platforms. Similar to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA)— which went into complete effect earlier this year—requires large tech firms to open their services, and not favour their own at the expense of rivals.


The draft DCB was released on March 12, along with the report of the Report of Committee on Digital Competition Law. Several stakeholders who would probably be impacted by the DCB had earlier asked for an extension of two to six months to submit their feedback on the law, as the deadline for doing so ended on May 15, 2024.


Key aspects of the draft DCB:


The Bill proposes to designate certain enterprises as Systemically Significant Digital Enterprises (SSDEs) if they are engaged in certain ‘core digital services’ (CDS) and meet the threshold criteria outlined under the bill. The list of CDS consists of online search engines, online social networking services, video-sharing platform services, interpersonal communications services, operating systems, web browsers, cloud services, advertising services, and online intermediation services (including web-hosting, service providers, payment sites, auction sites, app stores, e-commerce marketplaces, and aggregators, etc.). So, if an enterprise is engaged in a CDS, the draft proposes two tests – the financial strength test and the spread test (user base test) to determine whether the enterprise may be designated as SSDE. The core parameters of an SSDE are:


-If in the last 3 financial years, its turnover in India is not less than Rs 4,000 crore; or its global turnover is not less than $30 billion; or

-Its gross merchandise value in India is not less than Rs 16,000 crore; or

-Its global market capitalisation is not less than $75 billion; or

-The CDS provided by these companies should also have at least 1 crore end users or 10,000 business users.


The Competition Commission of India (CCI) can designate an enterprise an SSDE if it feels the firm has a presence in any given core digital service. Unlike the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, which specifically names the ‘gatekeeper’ entities, that decision in India’s draft law has been left to the discretion of the CCI— which some believe could lead to arbitrary decision-making.


At present, India follows an ex-post antitrust framework under the Competition Act, 2002. The law criticised that incidence of market abuse involves delays. By the time the offending company has been penalised, the market dynamics change. The Bill proposes to designate associate digital enterprises (ADEs) to understand the role that collected by one company of a major technology group can play in benefiting other group companies. If an entity of a group is determined to be an associate entity, they would have the same obligations as SSDEs depending on the level of their involvement with the core digital service offered by the main company. For example, if one were to look at Google Search and how it steers direction data to Google Maps, the latter can theoretically be deemed an ADE.


However, the tech giants are calling for the current competition law to be strengthened rather than moving towards an ex-ante framework, which are pre-emptive measures that aim to disallow or discourage certain practices. If the law goes into effect, it would mean that Apple will have to allow iPhone users to download apps from third-party app stores over the App Store. Google has also advocated against the ‘sideloading’ of apps claiming that it can potentially have security implications.


In the past, the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), the trade body that represents numerous digital entities, including tech firms, has expressed reservations. “The current ex-post framework is well-tested and relies on evidence of abuse thereby avoiding the risk of false positives. The proposed ex-ante regulations can dry up venture investments in tech start-ups, as the thresholds under the draft bill would act as a ceiling to the potential scalability of businesses,” said a submission made by the trade body. It further said the criteria for designating enterprises as SSDEs are ‘subjective, all-encompassing, and self-contradictory’ and could cover the entirety of India’s digital sector.


Read More: <a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/40-indian-startups-urge-mca-to-move-forward-with-digital-competition-bill-not-give-in-to-delaying-tactics-by-big-tech-31771.htm">40 Indian Startups urge MCA to move forward with Digital Competition Bill; 'not give in to delaying tactics by Big Tech'</a>

Indian start-ups back Digital Competition Bill, while Big Tech continues to oppose

Forty Indian startups have come out strongly in support of the draft Digital Competition Bill which proposes ex-ante regulations to curb anti-competitive practices of Big Tech companies. These startups which include prominent names like Matrimony.com, TrulyMadly, Innov8, QuackQuack, Magicbricks, Hoichoi, Medibuddy etc. have written to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs saying that the Bill is a step in the right direction and it will address long-standing concerns of Indian startups to rein in practices which stifle innovation, limit consumer choice, and hinder the growth of young businesses.

While requesting that the government move forward with the Bill at the earliest and not give in to delay tactics, the startups have also asked for an upward revision of the thresholds for designating Systematically Significant Digital Enterprises (SSDEs). In a letter to MCA, they have argued that the Bill should only target the real gatekeepers of the internet - firms that have long enjoyed dominant positions, accumulating extensive resources, and influence to shape the rules of the digital ecosystem. By narrowly targeting the new law, the government can rein in monopolistic practices while making sure that Indian startups have the space to grow within India and beyond Indian borders, to compete globally. 

The Committee on Digital Competition Law (CDCL) published its report in March this year outlining the challenges associated with anti-competitive practices of digital enterprises such as anti-steering, self-preferencing, tying and bundling in the digital markets in India. The report proposed a Digital Competition Bill providing for ex-ante regulations to curb these anti-competitive practices. The report was open for public consultation and the last date for submission of comments was 15th May 2024.

The letter stated-

"India has maintained its position as the third-largest tech start-up ecosystem worldwide. Over 950 tech start-ups were established in India last year alone.2 The cumulative funding for more than 31,000 tech start-ups has surpassed $70 billion from 2019 to 2023.3 It is clear that incorporating the voice of start-ups in shaping the digital competition law is crucial because these entities are reflective of the needs and realities of the tech landscape in the country today."

The proposed Digital Competition Bill (DCB) outlined in the CDCL report resonates deeply with the startup community. We perceive it as a forward-thinking piece of legislation that directly addresses our long-standing concerns regarding monopolistic practices by dominant digital platforms. These practices have often stifled innovation, limited consumer choice, and hindered the growth of young businesses. The Digital Competition Bill, with its focus on ex-ante regulations, has the potential to be a game-changer for the Indian start-up ecosystem. 

While we fully support the draft Bill, we propose a key revision regarding the thresholds for designating Significant Strategic Digital Entities (SSDEs). Our concern is that the current thresholds are low, and they are likely to – perhaps, inadvertently - encompass startups and other digital enterprises which are not gatekeepers. The gatekeeper companies ideally being targeted by the DCB have long enjoyed dominant positions, accumulating extensive resources, brand recognition, and influence over the digital ecosystem. Their entrenched status enables them to shape the rules of the game to their advantage. In contrast, start-ups and other digital enterprises -even if they meet the financial thresholds - are fundamentally different. These are young companies still establishing their product, user base, and navigating a complex market shaped by gatekeeper companies. Consequently, designating start-ups as SSDEs under the Act could impose unwarranted regulatory burdens, hindering their growth and competitiveness. This could in fact further undermine the objective of the Bill by restricting competition, instead of increasing it. It could also severely hamper the growth potential of Indian startups and impede their ability to grow beyond Indian borders to compete globally.

To this end, we have suggested an increase in the financial thresholds and also provided numbers for end-user and business-user count that would better reflect the realities of the Indian start-up ecosystem.

Request to Move Forward Without Further Delay

We also urge the MCA to move forward with the Bill at the earliest and not give in to further requests for extensions in the consultation period. We believe the current consultation period has been more than sufficient.

The CDCL has already undertaken a year-long process to evaluate the need for the DCB. This process involved consultations with various stakeholders, including industry experts, legal professionals, and public interest groups. Granting another long extension will serve no further purpose other than submitting to delay tactics being employed by Big Tech companies who want to stall the implementation of the Bill."

Start-ups supporting the bill include: 

1. Murugavel Janakiraman, Founder & MD, Matrimony.com

2. Vinay Singhal, Co-Founder & CEO, STAGE 

3. Snehil Khanor - founder and CEO, TrulyMadly

4. Satish Kannan, Co-founder CEO, MediBuddy

5. Anand Virani, Founder and Chairman, Cutting Chai Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

6. Ajay Data, MD - Data Group of Industries, Chair - FICCI Multilingual and UA committee

7. Pawan Agarwal, Dy MD, DB CORP ltd

8. Srinivasan B, Managing Director, Ananda Vikatan Digital Private Limited.

9. Ravi Mittal, Founder and CEO, QuackQuack (Verve Mobile Pvt Ltd)

10. Shruti, Founder, Apnaklub

11. Srinivas Kollipara, Managing Partner, Biome Venture Studio, CEO of T-Hub, Hyderabad

12. Vishnu Moha, Co-founder, Hoichoi

13. Sudhir Pai, CEO, MagicBricks

14. Sriram Subramanya, Managing Director and CEO @ Integra Software Services Private Ltd, Chairman - NASSCOM, National SME Council

15. Ganesh N Mandalam, Founder and CEO, Xerago

16. Ritesh Malik, Founder, Innov8

17. Arokiaswamy Velumani, Founder, Thyrocare Technologies Ltd

40 Indian Startups urge MCA to move forward with Digital Competition Bill; 'not give in to delaying tactics by Big Tech'

At Netflix's second Upfront presentation to advertisers, Peter Naylor, Vice President of Advertising Sales, said, “There’s a lot to be excited about over the next year. But the story of ads on Netflix this year is pretty simple: It’s about growth and momentum.” 

Another top executive of streaming major said it will launch an in-house advertising technology platform by the end of 2025: "Bringing our ad tech in-house will allow us to power the ads plan with the same level of excellence that’s made Netflix the leader in streaming technology today" Amy Reinhard, Netflix's president of advertising said.

"We’re being incredibly strategic about how we present ads because we want our members to have a phenomenal experience. We conduct deep consumer research to make sure we stay ahead of the competition, bringing opportunities that are better for members and better for brands,” Reinhard said.

Bela Bajaria, Netflix's Chief Content Officer, explained Netflix's performance on engagement, “Our audiences are highly engaged — and by engaged I mean that they are choosing to spend their time watching Netflix. That’s important because engagement is the key to success in streaming. When people watch our shows and movies, they get more value from Netflix, they stick around longer, and they’re more likely to recommend us to their friends." Bajaria reiterated to the advertisers, "And this matters to all of you because you want to be where the audiences are, too.”

In Numbers

Netflix’s ad-supported plan now has 40 million monthly active users, up from 23 million users in January

Over 40% of all signups in Netflix’s ads markets come from our ads plan. 

Netflix ad-supported members have a higher household income and are younger than linear TV audiences, with a median age of 37. 

Over 70% of Netflix’s ad-supported members watch for more than 10 hours a month - which is 15 percentage points higher than the nearest competitor according to Nielsen.

More than half of Netflix’s ad-supported members watch Netflix for more than 20 hours per month. 

According to TVision, Netflix’s ad-supported members’ attention is the highest competitively when evaluating a three-hour span. 

According to EDO Inc., Netflix members are around twice as likely to respond to an advertisement on Netflix compared to other streaming services and linear TV. 


Programming Stats:

Netflix has 270 million subscribers. 

According to Nielsen, in 2024, Netflix has more hours in the Top 10 than any other streaming service combined. 

Over the last three years, Netflix has had more Top 10 titles than every other streaming service combined.

In 2023, Netflix members watched 183 billion hours of Netflix.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/netflix-to-launch-in-house-ad-tech-platform-by-2025-end-31624.htm">Read more: Netflix to launch in-house ad-tech platform by 2025-end</a>

In Numbers: Netflix’s ad-supported plan now has 40 million monthly active users

Netflix has 270 million subscribers. According to Nielsen, in 2024, the streamer has more hours in the Top 10 than any other streaming service combined. In 2023, Netflix members watched 183 billion hours of Netflix. These are compelling stats for advertisers. But Netflix wants to take its contents' influence and experiences up several notches. 
 
Netflix Chief Marketing Officer Marian Lee shared how Netflix shows and films influence culture — a phenomenon that has become known as the Netflix Effect. “It starts with wonderful stories that become unmissable moments for millions of fans,” Lee said. “But then it spreads across Netflix — where our trailers get billions of views — and across our social media channels, where we have a billion very active followers.” 

The Netflix ads plan and live events now give advertisers even more opportunities to thoughtfully engage with this fandom, leveraging its growing marketing and creative teams to help more brands find a home in their world, the streamer said. “We’ll help you reach more fans and give you more access on-screen, off-screen, and during some of our biggest moments,” Lee said.

As an example of one of these new opportunities, the company announced that Celsius will be the first presenting sponsor for the upcoming live Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson event this July. Brand partners for the fight will have featured placements throughout the broadcast and customized branding inside the ring.

Peter Naylor, Vice President of Advertising Sales, said, “There’s a lot to be excited about over the next year. But the story of ads on Netflix this year is pretty simple: It’s about growth and momentum.”

The Netflix Experience

This year, Netflix unveiled an interactive Upfront experience showcasing popular titles like Bridgerton, Squid Game, Wednesday and more for advertisers to engage with. 

Netflix’s ad-supported plan now has 40 million monthly active users. Over 40% of all signups in Netflix’s ads markets come from its ads plan. Its ad-supported members have a higher household income and are younger than linear TV audiences, with a median age of 37. 

Over 70% of Netflix’s ad-supported members watch for more than 10 hours a month - which is 15 percentage points higher than the nearest competitor according to Nielsen. More than half of ad-supported members watch Netflix for more than 20 hours per month. 

According to TVision, ad-supported members’ attention is the highest competitively when evaluating a three-hour span. And according to EDO Inc., members are around twice as likely to respond to an advertisement on Netflix compared to other streaming services and linear TV. 

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/netflix-to-launch-in-house-ad-tech-platform-by-2025-end-31624.htm">Read more: Netflix to launch in-house ad-tech platform by 2025-end</a>

The Netflix Effect: How the streamer's shows and films influence culture, attracting advertisers

At Netflix's second Upfront presentation to advertisers, the message was clear: When you advertise with Netflix, you can reach the most engaged audience in the world.

Amy Reinhard, Netflix’s President of Advertising, walked advertisers through the continued growth and momentum of Netflix’s ad-supported plan, which now has 40 million global monthly active users — up from 5 million a year ago. Over 40% of all signups in the ads countries now come from the ads plan. 

Netflix also featured new partners that advertisers can use to measure and verify the impact of their campaigns, including Affinity Solutions, DoubleVerify, EDO Inc, Integral Ad Science, iSpotTV, Kantar, Lucid, NCSolutions, Nielsen and TVision.

New Ad Tech

Looking ahead, Reinhard announced Netflix will launch an in-house advertising technology platform, by the end of 2025. This will give advertisers new ways to buy, new insights to leverage, and new ways to measure impact. 

“Bringing our ad tech in-house will allow us to power the ads plan with the same level of excellence that’s made Netflix the leader in streaming technology today,” she said. 

In 2022, Netflix had announced that it had selected Microsoft as its global advertising technology and sales partner for its ad-supported streaming tier. 

"Microsoft has the proven ability to support all our advertising needs as we work together to build a new ad-supported offering. More importantly, Microsoft offered the flexibility to innovate over time on both the technology and sales side, as well as strong privacy protections for our members" Netflix Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer Greg Peters said in a statement at the time.

In 2024, Netflix will also expand its buying capabilities to include The Trade Desk, Google's Display & Video 360, and Magnite who will join Microsoft as the main programmatic partners for advertisers.

All of these enhancements are designed to make Netflix even better for clients. "We’re being incredibly strategic about how we present ads because we want our members to have a phenomenal experience. We conduct deep consumer research to make sure we stay ahead of the competition, bringing opportunities that are better for members and better for brands,” said Reinhard.

<a href="https://www.storyboard18.com/digital/the-netflix-effect-how-the-streamers-shows-and-films-influence-culture-attracting-advertisers-31628.htm">Read more: The Netflix Effect: How the streamer's shows and films influence culture, attracting advertisers</a>

Netflix to launch in-house ad-tech platform by 2025-end

EaseMyTrip.com, one of India’s leading travel tech platforms, announced its partnership with Google Wallet, marking a significant leap in overall customer experience. This collaboration aims to revolutionise the travel landscape by offering travellers a seamless journey through the integration of all booking necessities into a single, user-friendly wallet, the company said. 

Rikant Pittie, Co-Founder of EaseMyTrip, said, “At EaseMyTrip, our mantra is prioritising the overall customer experience. With this integration, we are thrilled to offer our customers a streamlined process providing effortless access to boarding passes and essential information. This partnership is not just about adding another feature, but also ensuring that our users get access to the best facilities available.”

Highlighting the significance of this launch in bringing new levels of convenience for Android users across the country, Ram Papatla, GM & India Engineering Lead, Android at Google, said, “The arrival of Google Wallet in India marks an important milestone in Android's India journey, bringing innovative and convenient experiences to simplify peoples’ daily lives. We are delighted to partner with many of India’s top brands to offer a comprehensive solution that helps you securely access and manage your everyday essentials. From boarding passes to loyalty cards, and event tickets to public transport passes – they’re there when you need them." 

Google Wallet was made available to Android users in India earlier in May. While the Google Pay app remains your destination for all things payments, Google Wallet aims to bring a new level of convenience to the Android experience in India. To start, Google has partnered with over 20 of India's top brands, offering one of the widest ranges of partners for any digital wallet in India. 


EaseMyTrip introduces Google Wallet to elevate travel experience

Microsoft Corp. and LinkedIn released the 2024 Work Trend Index, a joint report on the state of AI at work titled, “AI at work is here. Now comes the hard part.” The research — based on a survey of 31,000 people across 31 countries, labor and hiring trends on LinkedIn, trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, and research with Fortune 500 customers — shows how, just one year in, AI is influencing the way people work, lead and hire around the world. 

Microsoft also announced new capabilities in Copilot for Microsoft 365, and LinkedIn made free more than 50 learning courses for LinkedIn Premium subscribers designed to empower professionals at all levels to advance their AI aptitude, the companies said in a statement. 

The data is in: 2024 is the year AI at work gets real. Use of generative AI at work has nearly doubled in the past six months. LinkedIn is seeing a significant increase in professionals adding AI skills to their profiles, and most leaders say they wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills. But with many leaders worried their company lacks an AI vision, and employees bringing their own AI tools to work, leaders have reached the hard part of any tech disruption: moving from experimentation to tangible business impact.

“AI is democratizing expertise across the workforce,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “Our latest research highlights the opportunity for every organization to apply this technology to drive better decision-making, collaboration — and ultimately business outcomes.”

The report highlights three insights every leader and professional needs to know about AI’s impact on work and the labor market in the year ahead:

Employees want AI at work — and won’t wait for companies to catch up: Seventy-five percent of knowledge workers now use AI at work. Employees, many of them struggling to keep up with the pace and volume of work, say AI saves time, boosts creativity, and allows them to focus on their most important work. But although 79% of leaders agree AI adoption is critical to remain competitive, 59% worry about quantifying the productivity gains of AI and 60% say their company lacks a vision and plan to implement it. So, employees are taking things into their own hands. 78% of AI users are bringing their own tools to work — Bring Your Own AI (BYOAI) — missing out on the benefits that come from strategic AI use at scale and putting company data at risk. The opportunity for every leader is to channel this momentum into business impact at scale.

For employees, AI raises the bar and breaks the career ceiling: Although AI and job loss are top of mind for many, the data offers a more nuanced view — one with a hidden talent shortage, employees eyeing a career change, and massive opportunity for those willing to skill up on AI. A majority of leaders (55%) are concerned about having enough talent to fill roles this year with leaders in cybersecurity, engineering and creative design feeling the pinch most. And professionals are looking. Forty-six percent across the globe are considering quitting in the year ahead — an all-time high since the Great Reshuffle of 2021. A separate LinkedIn study found U.S. numbers to be even higher with 85% eyeing career moves. Although two-thirds of leaders (66%) wouldn’t hire someone without AI skills, only 39% of users have received AI training from their company and only 25% of companies expect to offer it this year. So, professionals are skilling up on their own. As of late last year, we’ve seen a 142x increase in LinkedIn members adding AI skills like Copilot and ChatGPT to their profiles and a 160% increase in nontechnical professionals using LinkedIn Learning courses to build their AI aptitude. In a world where AI mentions in LinkedIn job posts drive a 17% bump in application growth, it’s a two-way street: Organizations that empower employees with AI tools and training will attract the best talent, and professionals who skill up will have the edge.

The rise of the AI power user — and what they reveal about the future: Four types of AI users emerged in the research — from skeptics who rarely use AI to power users who use it extensively. Compared to skeptics, AI power users have reoriented their workdays in fundamental ways, reimagining business processes and saving over 30 minutes per day. Over 90% of power users say AI makes their overwhelming workload more manageable and their work more enjoyable, but they aren’t doing it on their own. These users are 61% more likely to have heard from their CEO on the importance of using generative AI at work, 53% more likely to receive encouragement from leadership to consider how AI can transform their function, and 35% more likely to receive tailored AI training for their specific role or function.

“AI is redefining work, and it’s clear we need new playbooks,” said Ryan Roslansky, CEO of LinkedIn. “It’s the leaders who build for agility instead of stability and invest in skill building internally that will give their organizations a competitive advantage and create more efficient, engaged and equitable teams.”

Microsoft is also announcing Copilot for Microsoft 365 innovations to help people get started with AI.

A new auto-complete feature is coming to the prompt box. Copilot will now help people who have the start of a prompt by offering to complete it, suggesting a more detailed prompt based on what is being typed, to deliver a stronger result. The company said, when people know what they want, but don’t have the right words, the new rewrite feature in Copilot will turn a basic prompt into a rich one with the click of a button.

Catch Up is a new chat interface that surfaces personal insights based on recent activity and provides responsive recommendations. For example, Copilot will flag an upcoming meeting and provide relevant information to help participants prepare. And new capabilities in Copilot Lab will enable people to create, publish and manage prompts tailored to them, and to their specific team, role and function.

These features will be available in the coming months. LinkedIn is also providing AI tools to enable users to stay ahead in their careers. These include upskilling courses, career advancement insights and AI-powered personalized takeaways in feeds and new AI-powered tools to make job searches easier and relevant.

Microsoft chairman Satya Nadella: AI is democratizing expertise across the workforce

Google chief Sundar Pichai shared his first-ever post on LinkedIn, a platform owned by Microsoft. Pichai shared, "For my first-ever LinkedIn post, I thought I’d share a sneak peek of the Shoreline Amphitheatre stage, as we put some finishing touches on our keynote for Google I/O tomorrow. Can’t wait to see those seats filled with developers from around the world who are building the next generation of AI experiences." 

He added, "Excited to join Demis Hassabis Elizabeth Reid Sissie H. James Manyika and others on stage. We'll share how our Gemini models are bringing breakthrough AI capabilities to people through our products, as well as innovation across safety, research, infrastructure…we’re going to talk about it all. Tune in if you can — 10 a.m. PT tomorrow!" 

<iframe src="https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:7195964475009626112" height="556" width="504" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Embedded post"></iframe>

LinkedIn connects the world’s professionals, has more than 1 billion members and has offices around the globe. 

Earlier this month, Microsoft Corp. and LinkedIn released the 2024 Work Trend Index, a joint report on the state of AI at work titled, “AI at work is here. Now comes the hard part.” The research — based on a survey of 31,000 people across 31 countries, labor and hiring trends on LinkedIn, trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, and research with Fortune 500 customers — shows how, just one year in, AI is influencing the way people work, lead and hire around the world. 

Microsoft also announced new capabilities in Copilot for Microsoft 365, and LinkedIn made free more than 50 learning courses for LinkedIn Premium subscribers designed to empower professionals at all levels to advance their AI aptitude.

“AI is democratizing expertise across the workforce,” said Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO, Microsoft. “Our latest research highlights the opportunity for every organization to apply this technology to drive better decision-making, collaboration — and ultimately business outcomes.”

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