Google To Integrate Ads Into AI-Powered Search Overviews

Google has announced plans to incorporate search and shopping ads within its AI-generated answers, marking a significant expansion of its advertising capabilities. This initiative, which will be tested in the United States, follows the introduction of the AI Overviews feature at Google’s recent I/O conference. The ads will appear in a ‘sponsored’ section, tailored to the relevance of the user’s query.

Strategic Expansion in AI and Advertising

This move underscores Google’s strategy to leverage its dominance in traditional search advertising by integrating advanced generative AI technologies. The initiative aims to boost ad sales, a major revenue source, which saw a 13% increase to $61.7 billion in Q1 2024. By embedding ads within AI-generated search results, Google seeks to maintain its competitive edge and revenue growth amidst evolving digital landscapes.

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Ongoing Developments and Future Directions

Google will continue refining new ad formats, drawing on feedback from advertisers. Enhancements showcased at the I/O conference, including updates to the Gemini chatbot and search engine improvements, highlight Google’s commitment to advancing AI across its services.

Google’s integration of ads into AI-driven search overviews represents a forward-thinking approach to digital advertising. As the company navigates the intersection of AI innovation and commercial strategy, these developments are set to influence the broader advertising ecosystem significantly.

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Bending Spoons Buys Miro As SaaS Valuations Continue To Reset

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

September 10, 2026

Bending Spoons is buying Miro for $1.36 billion in cash, implying an equity value of $1.79 billion. That is about 90% below the workplace collaboration company’s $17.5 billion valuation in late 2021.

From Digital Whiteboard To AI Workspace

Founded in 2011 as RealtimeBoard, Miro began as a digital whiteboarding tool for remote teams. Demand surged during the pandemic, helping the company expand from about five million users to roughly 30 million between 2020 and 2022.

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Miro later added more than 250 integrations and partnerships with Atlassian, Cisco, Microsoft and Zoom. Today, it describes itself as an “AI innovation workspace,” offering AI assistants, prototyping tools and integrations with GitHub, Jira and Slack.

Growth Slowed After The Pandemic

Miro now has more than four million paying customers and 100 million total users, with about $600 million in annual recurring revenue. Businesses and enterprises generate roughly 90% of revenue, while the company has about $435 million in net cash and is profitable.

Its valuation decline reflects a broader reset in SaaS markets. As pandemic-driven demand faded, companies cut software spending and consolidated overlapping tools, increasing pressure on stand-alone collaboration platforms competing with broader ecosystems from companies such as Microsoft, Canva and Figma.

Bending Spoons Targets Mature Software

Miro has also reduced its workforce since reaching about 1,200 employees in 2022, cutting 119 positions in February 2023 and another 275 in October 2024, according to its CEO.

The acquisition fits Bending Spoons’ broader strategy of buying established software companies whose valuations have fallen but whose recurring revenue and user bases remain substantial. It previously agreed to acquire Airtable for $1.28 billion after the company had been valued above $11 billion in 2021.

For Bending Spoons, the strategy is a bet on durable revenue and profitability rather than the rapid-growth expectations that drove software valuations during the pandemic.

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