Amazon has abruptly cut its Google Shopping ad spending – cue the speculation

It can be difficult for smaller advertisers to gain a foothold in Google’s search advertising auctions. Money talks, and marketers without the limitless cash reserves of their largest rivals often find themselves boxed out of the best slots. But every now and then, a major player dips out – and the status quo gets remixed.

In the last week, an apparent withdrawal from Google Shopping ads by Amazon has revealed opportunities for rival advertisers while prompting speculation from Linkedin Kremlinologists.

So, how do we know that Amazon’s retreated from the arena? Well, marketers and media buyers investing in Google ads have access to a tool called “Auction Insights.” Among other things, it provides them with a view of the top 10 advertisers for share of impressions in the search environments they’re bidding.

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Rockstar Games is staffing up its creator platform division with an eye toward UGC creators

As the release of “Grand Theft Auto VI” grows closer, Rockstar Games is looking to expand its creator platforms team.

Rockstar Games is currently hiring for two roles — a senior product manager and associate compliance manager — dedicated to the game developer’s creator platforms. These hiring plans represent a expansion of Rockstar’s creator platforms team, which currently numbers at eight employees spread across the company’s regional offices, according to LinkedIn. The senior product manager role was listed two weeks ago, and the listing for the associate compliance manager role went up earlier this week. (A Rockstar Games representative did not respond to a request for comment.)

The new creator platform roles, which oversee both current Rockstar creator products such as the FiveM UGC platform and new products for “emerging trends in UGC, gaming [and] technology,” could impact development of the much-anticipated “GTA 6” by helping formalize the series’ massive creator ecosystem ahead of its launch in May 2026

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