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Welcome to The Colab Brief, where we break down the comms trends that actually matter, drop the receipts behind the headlines, and share the stuff people are whispering about but not posting.

📬 In this Edition:

🔥 Hot Takes - The Network is King (but is LinkedIn losing its luster?)
🌱 Job Watch -  Climate reporter, talent coach, senior media manager & more
⁉️ AMA w/ Ash & Lizzy - When (and when not) to push back on media framing
🎯 One Tip - A human-sounding LinkedIn post prompt that actually works
🌐 Why It Matters: Perplexity - Comet Plus launches with 80% rev-share to publishers
📡 Under the Radar - Beehiiv pubs worth watching in AI/tech
👀 In the Wild - Microsoft’s new AI models, J.Crew’s AI ad backlash, H&R Block goes Swiftie
🔁 Media Moves - Key industry shifts, promotions, and departures this week
☕ Totally Unrelated -  Taylor + Travis proposal content takeover

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🔥 Hot Takes - The Network is King, but What Does That Even Mean?

LinkedIn’s new research says professionals still trust their networks above all else: 43% turn to people they know first for advice at work, ahead of search engines and even AI tools. And 77% of B2B marketing leaders admit their audiences vet brands through their network, not just company channels. 

No wonder LinkedIn is expanding BrandLink, rolling out new creator-driven shows with IBM, SAP, AT&T, and others.

But here’s the hot take: with posts on LinkedIn up 41% over the past three years, the platform is more crowded than ever. If you post looking for advice today, expect to be inundated with random algorithm-bait comments. Maybe when people say “network,” they increasingly mean their IRL colleagues, niche Slack groups, or private communities - not the noisy LinkedIn feed.

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