Time Inc. CEO on embracing AI: It's better to have a seat at the table
For the longtime media exec, it just makes better business sense to do so.
"We want to have a seat at the table and be with these top executives," Sibley told Yahoo Finance at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Monday.
"We started early in this journey, and we've decided to start with a guiding principle, which was are we going to negotiate, litigate, or do nothing? We decided if we were going to negotiate, we were going to opt in. We want to be part of this technology," she explained.
Time Inc. has pressed forward with a major reinvention under Sibley, partly by leaning into AI.
In 2024, it signed a multiyear deal with OpenAI to give it access to Time's 102-year-old content archive.
More recently, the company said it'll launch an on-demand podcast with Meta (META)-backed Scale AI that features two AI hosts summarizing four top stories from its newsletter The Brief.
Sibley said the company has been leveraging AI across "every single department" to become more efficient, from the newsroom to legal and HR. The push for cost savings comes as Time Inc. laid off around 30 staffers in January 2024 and another 22 last August. Sibley cited industry headwinds at the time for the cuts.
In the fall, Time Inc. expects to enable multilingual, personalized AI interactions on the site, such as AI search, chat, and translation.
"The acceleration of how consumers are demanding finding ways of personalized content, multimodal content, and with the AI answer results, we wanted to again embrace it and be part of it as opposed to litigate," Sibley said.
Time Inc. was purchased from Meredith Corporation in September 2018 by Salesforce (CRM) co-founder Marc Benioff and his wife, Lynne, for $190 million in cash. Sibley began as its CEO in November 2022, joining the magazine from Forbes, where she was COO. Prior to Forbes, she held leadership positions at Condé Nast and Bloomberg BusinessWeek.
The publication has also expanded its high-profile events business and modernized its tech stack while continuing with its high-quality journalism.
To that end, Time Inc. named Donald Trump "Person of the Year" for 2024 and followed up with a headline-making interview with the president to mark his first 100 days in office.
Sibley said in a recent note that Time Inc. is forecasting 24% advertising revenue growth in the first half of the year.
Other media players are navigating the tricky balance between negotiating and litigating against AI. Big Tech has been forking over large sums of money for licensing agreements to use publishers' archives to train large language models.
The New York Times (NYT) recently inked a multiyear deal to license content to Amazon (AMZN) for AI-related uses, marking its first generative AI contract. The company had sued OpenAI and Microsoft (MSFT) in 2023, alleging the tech companies illegally used millions of its articles to train chatbots.
News Corp. (NWS), owner of Wall Street Journal, signed a five-year licensing deal with OpenAI in May 2024 worth a reported $250 million.
Reddit (RDDT) is claiming in a new lawsuit that Anthropic scraped its users' personal data without consent, then used it to train its large language model Claude.
As this is playing out, Google traffic to publisher websites continues to be pressured as the tech giant leans into its new AI snippets. The byproduct: shrinking news jobs.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that organic search to HuffPost's desktop and mobile websites has plunged by 50% in the past three years. Organic search traffic to Business Insider cratered by 55% between April 2022 and April 2025.
Business Insider slashed 21% of its staff in late May, blaming the need to evolve the business model in the age of AI.
About 6% of the Los Angeles Times staff was let go in early May, Variety reported. In January, the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post gave 4% of its staff pink slips.
Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor and a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Tips on stories? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Buffett Effect Still Holds as UnitedHealth Soars Through August
(Bloomberg) -- The Warren Buffett effect is proving true once again, spurring UnitedHealth Group Inc.'s reversal this month and giving the Dow Jones Industrial Average a push toward its first closing high since last year. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway revealed last week that it bought a stake in the health insurer in the second quarter. UnitedHealth shares, which lost more than 50% from the start of 2025 through the end of July, have been on a tear this month, rising more than 20% in August alone and far outperforming any other company in the blue-chip index during that stretch. Why New York City Has a Fleet of New EVs From a Dead Carmaker Chicago Schools Seeks $1 Billion of Short-Term Debt as Cash Gone Trump Takes Second Swing at Cutting Housing Assistance for Immigrants A Photographer's Pipe Dream: Capturing New York's Vast Water System A London Apartment Tower With Echoes of Victorian Rail and Ancient Rome The stock has added more than 300 points to the Dow in August, accounting for more than 40% of its monthly gain. It has been a welcome boost for the stock-price-weighted benchmark, which hit an intraday record on Tuesday but has yet to close at a new all-time high and has been trounced by other major equity indexes, like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100, this year. 'There wasn't a single piece of good news basically this whole year specific to UnitedHealth,' Morningstar analyst Julie Utterback said. 'So having a company like Berkshire Hathaway investing competitively in a managed firm that was attractively valued, that's really a nice vote of confidence.' NOTE: Aug. 15, UnitedHealth Surges After Buffett, Tepper Bet on Turnaround (2) The 'Buffett Effect' essentially refers to a stock market phenomenon where share prices rise when the legendary investor takes a stake and fall when he exits a position. In this case it's notable because until very recently UnitedHealth was the biggest drag on the Dow this year. Then it reversed direction and quickly went from worst to first. 'Really Tough Year' 'Investors in UnitedHealth have had a really tough year,' said Utterback, who tracks the stock's decline to early December, when former executive Brian Thompson was fatally shot outside an investor conference in New York. The stock is still down 40% in 2025 and is trading at a little more than $300. Utterback has a buy rating and $400 price target on the shares. Thompson's murder, which was a targeted attack aimed at UnitedHealth's leadership, helped send the Dow on its longest losing streak since the 1970s. At the same time, the insurer's stock fell from the biggest weight in the 30-member index to seventh. But since the Berkshire Hathaway stake was revealed after the market closed on Aug. 14, Wall Street has turned incrementally positive on UnitedHealth. And more broadly, investors are starting to see some momentum from the entire health-care sector. Jonathan Krinsky, chief market technician at BTIG, says he's 'sticking with health care for a more defensive posture' and because it's the best-performing sector in the market in August.A As for UnitedHealth, it may be more attractive as a longer-term position. 'If you can take a five-year view (on UnitedHealth), you likely will do well,' analysts at BofA Securities wrote in a note to clients on Monday that was subtitled 'Berkshire is in, should you be?' The bank raised also its price target on the stock to $325 from $290. And when it comes to dragging the Dow to a new closing high, the company still needs some help. 'The rest of the stocks still need to be able to rally,' said Matt Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak + Co., though he added that removing the biggest drag on the index is a positive sign. 'The DJIA is something the individual investor watches more closely than the pros.' Foreigners Are Buying US Homes Again While Americans Get Sidelined What Declining Cardboard Box Sales Tell Us About the US Economy Women's Earnings Never Really Recover After They Have Children Survived Bankruptcy. Next Up: Cultural Relevance? Americans Are Getting Priced Out of Homeownership at Record Rates ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Historic baseball field, green space in growing West Greenville targeted for new housing
The Greenville County Redevelopment Authority is one step closer to building affordable housing in a historic part of West Greenville that has seen tremendous growth in recent years. The redevelopment authority has its sights set on two plots of land near the historic Woodside Cotton Mill, totaling 10.9 acres. One plot is an abandoned baseball field with stone amphitheater seating and overgrown dugouts, while the other is a raw plot of greenspace. Shelly Grice is a longtime resident of West Greenville in the Woodside Mill area. She has lived in the same house for 42 years, which was in her family for generations. More: For real this time? Woodside Mill to become apartments Grice sees the need for more affordable housing in the area, but isn't sold on new development, especially in an area she says is already fast growing and packed to the brim. "We are on top of each other," Grice said. "I feel like we are swamped with regrowth and I feel they are doing too much too fast." Woodside Mills — deep roots in Greenville's industrial growth Brothers John, Edward, and J. David Woodside built the Woodside Cotton Mill in 1902. Housing and development boomed around the textile hub in the decades after its construction as workers and their families moved nearby. A neighborhood historical marker states that the mill village grew to house 2,400 workers in 442 homes by 1929. The area still has its historic notes, but the stark contrast between the new and old is apparent. Grice said she remembers a time when she and her neighbors paid about $450 a month to live in the area, but now the cost of living in the area has skyrocketed as new developments move in. "We feel smothered," Grice said. "How can they build when they are going to be cutting (off) people's routes to school or their way to work?" County moves forward with land transfer The Greenville County Council approved the transfer of roughly 11 acres of property in Woodside Mills to the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority on Aug. 19 with little discussion. The authority's vision is to turn the two plots of land into affordable housing. Greenville County Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Joe Smith said at a June county finance committee meeting that his agency is not considering a high-density development in the Woodside Mill village. Smith addressed some of the challenges of developing in the area, including limited infrastructure and low capacity for cars on neighborhood streets. "We're not going to have two or 300 cars dumped out here on these existing streets that can't handle it," Smith said. He added that there's no firm design plan in place, but any development would have minimal impact on the neighborhood. "We're looking for low impact on these neighborhoods," Smith said. "We are not trying to dump a bunch of people on their streets if they can't handle it. That's not being a good neighbor." Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@ This article originally appeared on Greenville News: New affordable housing could come to historic Greenville neighborhood Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Job&Talent scales its AI squad—unlocking up to 30% productivity gains in frontline industries
Job&Talent AI Agents Job&Talent's headquarters MADRID and ATLANTA, Aug. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Job&Talent, a world-leading workforce platform for essential industries, is scaling its suite of AI agents to help frontline businesses significantly boost productivity. Building on the success of Clara, its AI recruiter, the company has introduced three new AI-agents—an AI account manager, AI attendance coach, and AI performance coach—designed to improve critical frontline metrics such as fulfillment, attendance, worker quality, and retention—all of which, if left unaddressed, erode productivity and inflate workforce costs. With Clara, Sara, Teo, and Maria, Job&Talent isn't just adopting AI—it's redefining how frontline work is managed. This transformation is powered by the company's purpose-built, end-to-end platform and deep operational know-how, drawn from over 300,000 worker placements each year. Clara has already transformed high-volume hiringHiring in frontline industries is slow, manual, and often fails to meet the speed and scale businesses need—especially during peak periods. Clara, Job&Talent's first AI agent launched in late 2024, was built to change that. Designed specifically for high-volume hiring, Clara autonomously interviews and vets candidates 24/7 in multiple languages, often outside office hours when workers are most reachable. Since launch, she has conducted 190,000+ interviews and delivered 22,000+ hires—operating 65% faster than manual recruiting, while earning 90% satisfaction scores from candidates. Clara has become a critical tool for companies facing seasonal surges, like Black Friday, where she helped one employer reduce time-to-hire for thousands of workers from 8 weeks to just 3. Sara prevents no-shows and keeps shifts on trackHigh absenteeism is one of the most persistent challenges in frontline operations. Sara, Job&Talent's AI attendance coach, tackles this head-on by detecting no-shows in real time, calling absent workers within 10 minutes, capturing reasons for absence, and delivering tailored coaching to change future behavior. By reinforcing clock-in compliance and embedding new attendance habits at scale, Sara has driven a 30% reduction in absenteeism and helped companies reach attendance rates of up to 90% on average—improving reliability across even the most complex shift environments. Teo spots staffing gaps instantly before they hurt productivityIn fast-paced frontline operations, even small gaps in shift coverage can disrupt productivity, delay output, and overload teams—yet supervisors often lack the real-time visibility or tools to react quickly. Teo is Job&Talent's 24/7 AI account manager—a conversational genAI chatbot embedded in the company app that proactively monitors workforce data and flags issues before they escalate. Supervisors can simply ask, 'Who is absent today?', 'Show me open shifts,' or 'Which shifts are at risk?' and Teo will instantly surface insights and suggest next steps. Beyond insights, Teo can also take action: automatically inviting backup workers, updating shift plans, or triggering callouts to fill last-minute gaps. With Teo, local teams gain a real-time planning assistant that helps them stay ahead of staffing issues. Maria turns feedback into measurable performance gainsFrontline performance depends on timely, constructive feedback—yet many issues go unaddressed until it's too late. Maria, Job&Talent's AI performance coach, detects early signs of underperformance and proactively coaches workers in positive, confidence-building conversations. Using real-time supervisor feedback and worker ratings, Maria delivers clear and personalized guidance on strengths, areas for improvement, and next steps. Each call is summarised for both worker and supervisor via the app, creating a transparent feedback loop. Maria is already improving workforce quality and boosting productivity by turning feedback into real behavioral change—at scale. Juan Urdiales, Co‑CEO and Co‑Founder of Job&Talent, said: 'Our platform is designed with one goal: help companies boost productivity and efficiency at scale, while providing workers with the opportunities and tools they need to thrive. By combining deep industry knowledge with AI and automation, we are making companies more productive by filling shifts faster, reducing no‑shows, improving worker quality and retaining talent—delivering measurable impact across the entire employment journey.' This is only the beginning: more AI applications are already in development to support every stage of the employment journey. MEDIA CONTACTRobin NierynckDirector, Global Communicationspress@ ABOUT JOB&TALENTJob&Talent is a world-leading, AI-powered workforce platform for essential industries. We help companies boost productivity and efficiency at scale, while providing workers with the opportunities and tools they need to thrive. Our mission is simple: to empower the people who make the world go round. Built on deep industry expertise, cutting-edge technology, and smart AI agents, our end-to-end platform covers the entire workforce lifecycle — from recruitment and planning to time and attendance, performance, cost management, and communication. It delivers measurable improvements in the areas that matter most: fulfilment, attendance, retention, and workforce quality. In 2024, Job&Talent placed over 300,000 workers across more than 3,250 companies in sectors such as logistics, manufacturing, and retail. Headquartered in Madrid, the company operates in 10 countries across Europe, the U.S., and Latin America. For more information, please visit Photos accompanying this announcement are available at in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
