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⬤ Recent Similarweb data shows global web traffic patterns have shifted dramatically, with ChatGPT.com leading the pack with 54.26% year-over-year growth—the highest among the top 10 most-visited sites. Other platforms showing growth include Instagram (11.47%), Reddit (16.41%), and modest gains for Google (0.99%) and YouTube (1.26%). On the flip side, several major services took hits: Facebook dropped 2.98%, X fell 6.08%, WhatsApp declined 8.23%, Wikipedia slid 9.16%, and Bing saw the steepest fall at 16.75%.
⬤ Proposed tax changes add fresh uncertainty for the digital sector. New measures targeting platforms, cloud providers, and AI services could drive up costs for data centers and digital advertising, putting pressure on smaller companies and potentially triggering bankruptcies in overleveraged segments. These regulatory headwinds might also accelerate brain drain, as engineers and AI specialists look toward friendlier markets, intensifying the already fierce global battle for tech talent.
⬤ The traffic data reflects how AI technologies are reshaping online behavior. ChatGPT's meteoric rise, combined with declines at Bing and Wikipedia, shows users moving away from static information sources toward interactive AI tools for research, problem-solving, and everyday tasks.
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