WPP Restructures, becomes a single company- no longer a Holdco.

After the Apple-Gemini Tie-Up, Samsung Follows Suit with Perplexity Partnership

Perplexity made an explosive comeback, just as the market decided it’s dead. Only this time it isn’t another model upgrade, but the dawn of a multi-AI ecosystem, powered by Samsung.

Within the last 24 hours, Samsung’s Galaxy S26 has become the talk of the market because of its privacy display. It’s a historic feat.

The new display hardware shields on-screen visibility for specific apps or the overall phone. The choice is the users to curtail their privacy. But what really added to the fire was its partnership with Perplexity.

The AI development company announced that it partnered with Samsung for its new “AI-first” S26 series. That technically signifies that the hardware will ship with Perplexity AI built in at the system level.

Users can toggle it through just one phrase: “Hey, Plex.”

Why does it matter, you may ask?

It’s the first time in Samsung’s tenure that it has offered OS-level access to a software that isn’t from them or Google. Users aren’t restricted to just one AI assistant; they can choose from multiple ones.

So, what role does Perplexity AI play?

Samsung’s Bixby leverages Perplexity’s API for different forms of complex queries across over 800 million devices as of now. Whether it’s web-based or generative. The assistant will handle all on-device actions, and for research and tasks, it’ll route them to Perplexity, which is running in the background.

What does it mean for S26 users?

Perplexity entails read/write access to all Samsung apps at an OS level. And it empowers Bixby’s search backends through its Sonar APIs. That means- even if users never end up touching Perplexity on Samsung, all of their queries will still flow through its cloud architecture.

That sounds like progress. But it might not be.

Samsung’s strategy mimics more of multi-party data harvesting. And with system-level permissions? The questions about privacy are more imperative than ever. Especially access that doesn’t come with an opt-in feature could turn out to be a red flag.

For now, while users are lost in the wave of this innovative piece of product, the Perplexity-Samsung deal isn’t hitting a dead end here. In Part 2 of the alliance, Samsung Internet is involved. Samsung users Perplexity’s API for browser control and offers the AI browser, Comet, as the default search engine. But one that’s optional.

AI that you choose, not one you’re stuck with.

Samsung is in league with Apple. But is it truly winning the software war? The balance between efficiency and true effectiveness will decide the winner.

Cindy Rose is Reinventing WPP, Once Again: Where Will the Creative Land This Time?

Is the end of the prolonged agency-wide transformation for WPP? Cindy Rose thinks so.

WPP recorded disappointing results- with £13.55 billion in revenue, which is an 8.1% YoY decline. To address the root cause of this decline, it was essential to acknowledge a decade-long transformation that the agency never seemed to think it would survive.

Multiple agency consolidations, including two McKinsey reviews. And 3 leadership changes.

Looks like Rose is still holding on to the drowning boat. While the market is skeptical, she is hopeful, especially as she unveils WPP’s “Elevate28” strategy.

Because the root cause of this chaos is being relevant. Cindy Rose realizes that what worked in the past won’t work for WPP today. It’s an awakening that several marketers are gradually coming to. She isn’t alone in this predicament.

The plan starts with an official announcement of WPP Creative- its umbrella unit that will house all of WPP’s creative networks (Ogilvy, VML, and AKQA).

Rose’s strategic vision with this move is to move the agency from being a traditional holding company. As of now, the plan is to pivot into being a single operating company with 4 foundational blocks: Media, Creative, Production, and Enterprise Solutions.

But make no mistake. It isn’t another brand consolidation tactic. WPP’s CEO is doubling down on that. WPP is more like an operating system that’ll help these agency brands gauge WPP’s capabilities while operating as singular agencies and dealing with clients as such. No mergers. No consolidation. Only a structural revamp to present integrated offers.

The move is structural. But that’s an understatement.

What WPP historically saw was massive competition between these brands. And WPP Creative is the modus operandi to eliminate that. One that erases internal silos along with duplicated global + regional layers. Even back-office functions will come together.

As Rose cites a structural cost savings of up to £500 million by 2028, she asserts that £400 million of it is for the restructuring job. The other two priorities are realigning their investments in high-growth areas and talent.

In this vamped framework, Rose doesn’t address WPP as an advertising company. But introduces the plan under a renewed vision: “Our mission is now to be a trusted growth partner for our clients in the era of AI.”

The promise is to “put an end to the job” within the next 18 months. As the workforce (or maybe even clients) takes the brunt of this transformation fatigue, will Cindy Rose’s bold promise come through?