Why Cloudflare wants AI companies to pay for content
On TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec and Maxwell Zeff discuss Cloudflare's new experiment to make AI companies pay for content. Cloudflare, which powers around 20% of the web, is launching Pay per Crawl, which would let publishers charge AI firms each time their bots scrape a site. The episode frames this as a natural step after a year of bot-blocking work and debates whether the plan is genius or wishful thinking.
Key Takeaways
- Equity digs into Cloudflare's big swing, why it's a natural next step after a year of laying groundwork for bot-blocking tools, and whether the plan to sit at the center of a pay-for-content protocol is genius...or just wishful thinking.
Theresa Loconsolo , Kirsten Korosec , Maxwell Zeff Jul 3, 2025 Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Cloudflare wants AI companies to pay up .
- Listen to the full episode to hear more about: How ICEBlock, an app for anonymously reporting ICE sightings, went viral thanks to backlash from former prosecutor Pam Bondi.
ICEBlock is now one of the most-downloaded free iPhone apps in the U.S. Why Figma's S-1 filing could set the stage for a blockbuster IPO, and what its 48% revenue growth says about demand for design tools.
- Equity is TechCrunch's flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday.
- She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co-host of TechCrunch's Equity podcast.
She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast, "The Autonocast."
- Through candid fireside chats and high-impact networking, you'll walk away with valuable insights and new connections.
Stats & Key Facts
- #Cloudflare, which powers around 20% of the web, is launching Pay per Crawl, which would let publishers charge AI firms each time their bots scrape a site.
- #Theresa Loconsolo , Kirsten Korosec , Maxwell Zeff Jul 3, 2025 Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Cloudflare wants AI companies to pay up .
- #The cloud infrastructure provider, which powers around 20% of the web, is launching a new experiment that would let publishers charge AI firms every time their bots scrape a site.
- #ICEBlock is now one of the most-downloaded free iPhone apps in the U.S. Why Figma's S-1 filing could set the stage for a blockbuster IPO, and what its 48% revenue growth says about demand for design tools.
Equity digs into Cloudflare's big swing, why it's a natural next step after a year of laying groundwork for bot-blocking tools, and whether the plan to sit at the center of a pay-for-content protocol is genius...or just wishful thinking. Theresa Loconsolo , Kirsten Korosec , Maxwell Zeff Jul 3, 2025 Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Cloudflare wants AI companies to pay up . The cloud infrastructure provider, which powers around 20% of the web, is launching a new experiment that would let publishers charge AI firms every time their bots scrape a site.
It's called Pay per Crawl, and it could reshape how content is accessed and monetized online. Today on TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec and Max Zeff dig into Cloudflare's big swing, why it's a natural next step after a year of laying groundwork for bot-blocking tools, and whether the plan to sit at the center of a pay-for-content protocol is genius... Listen to the full episode to hear more about: How ICEBlock, an app for anonymously reporting ICE sightings, went viral thanks to backlash from former prosecutor Pam Bondi.
ICEBlock is now one of the most-downloaded free iPhone apps in the U.S. Why Figma's S-1 filing could set the stage for a blockbuster IPO, and what its 48% revenue growth says about demand for design tools. What Grammarly's acquisition of Superhuman signals about its vision for the "agentic future" of productivity. Tesla co-founder JB Straubel's new venture and how it might just challenge Tesla's own storage business.
For more details please read the original article at TechCrunch M&A.
Continue Learning
Comments
Comments appear only after moderation. Your email identifies your submission to the moderator and is never displayed here.
No approved comments yet.