Google’s AI-driven search features are significantly impacting news publishers, replacing traditional blue links with instant answers. Outlets like HuffPost, Washington Post, and Business Insider have seen their organic search traffic plummet by around 50% over the past three years, according to data analyzed by the Wall Street Journal. Last month, Business Insider laid off 21% of its workforce, with CEO Barbara Peng describing the situation as “extreme traffic drops out of control.”
Nicholas Thompson, CEO of Atlantic, noted, “Google is transitioning from a search engine to an answer engine. We need to come up with new strategies.” The shift became more pronounced with Google’s introduction of an AI overview feature designed for 2024, which presents search results at the top of the page. The AI mode introduced in May enhances this with chatbot-like conversations that often provide minimal links.
Data shows a stark decline in organic search traffic: HuffPost’s desktop and mobile views dropped nearly 50% from April 2022 to April 2025, similar to the Washington Post’s trajectory. Business Insider experienced a more severe decline, with a 55% drop in the same timeframe. During an internal meeting, Thompson projected that Google traffic could “fall towards zero,” prompting calls for the Atlantic to adapt its business model. Meanwhile, William Lewis, publisher and CEO of the Washington Post, expressed concern over this development as a “serious threat to journalism.”
In response, publishers are exploring new audience engagement strategies. The Atlantic is reportedly enhancing its app offerings, expanding print magazine issues, and investing in events. Neil Vogel, CEO of Dotdash Meredith, indicated that Google Search’s share of web traffic has decreased from 60% at the time of their merger in 2021 to about one-third today, with traffic reportedly shifting toward newsletters and specialized platforms.
Additionally, media companies are initiating legal actions against certain AI firms while negotiating licensing agreements with others. For instance, The New York Times has filed a copyright lawsuit against OpenAI and Microsoft, and there are ongoing agreements with Amazon. News Corp has both content agreements with OpenAI and pending lawsuits.
Shelley Weiss, CMO of Dow Jones and Journal, highlighted the evolving strategies within the industry. Multiple inquiries were made to Google, HuffPost, the Washington Post, and Business Insider, but responses were not received.
