Ads that pretend to be normal content are literally the fucking worst kind of ad and anyone who suggests implementing them should be dragged out back and shot.

Not surprised that stack exchange is doing this, given that they seem determined to drive away their entire userbase.

I'm imagining code snippets that would actually download ads into applications people are writing. This would target those that copy/paste'd code without having any concept of what the code in question does.

I really hate the term native ad. It makes it sound like it isn't the worst thing ever invented.

It should instead be called invasive ads or undercover ads.

“Native ads“ literally means trying to trick your users into accidentally clicking an ad. Like unread email in Gmail that’s actually just an ad (spam).

Stack Overflow’s leadership emphasizes that this isn’t merely about monetization but about enhancing user experience.

As soon as I see someone says that ads "enhance" the user experience, I know they are full of shit.

Funding boost? Didn't they make a big deal with OpenAI or some other LLM provider like 6 months ago?

Edit: I looked it up and it was both Google and OpenAI, but more than a year ago. I guess that's what you get as LLM users use those instead of visiting your website, and non-LLM users stop contributing

Wow fuck these clowns

Any "article" starting with the words "in the ever evolving world of"... Lost its credibility before it was even published.

God what an awful, awful time to be alive.

That's embarrassing.

while maintaining transparency and user value

Yeah, that you'll lose.