Stack Overflow’s leadership emphasizes that this isn’t merely about monetization but about enhancing user experience.
As soon as I see someone says that ads "enhance" the user experience, I know they are full of shit.
this post was submitted on 13 Dec 2025
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They're a business and they need to make money!
Ads that pretend to be normal content are literally the fucking worst kind of ad and anyone who suggests implementing them should be dragged out back and shot.
Not surprised that stack exchange is doing this, given that they seem determined to drive away their entire userbase.
It's the only way to cheat ad blockers
Plus, if you don't give a shit about your userbase and or long term goals, then who cares, right?
No, it's not a way to cheat ad blockers. It's just to trick you.
It's not uncommon on sites where a high proportion of the userbase uses an adblocker, as making ads look like and render using the same code as organic content (same CSS classes, etc) makes them harder to block.
And AI is not the cause, just one of the last nails of that coffin. I’m still pissed at the gatekeeping moderators, actively eliminating participation of new users. I tried to be part of it two times, got burned two times, turned away and just used it as an info source, rather than “wasting” time trying to help others.
I really hate the term native ad. It makes it sound like it isn't the worst thing ever invented.
It should instead be called invasive ads or undercover ads.
Impostor ads
sus amogus
“Native ads“ literally means trying to trick your users into accidentally clicking an ad. Like unread email in Gmail that’s actually just an ad (spam).
What's funny, is that with this one simple trick, advertising companies have managed to swindle billions from businesses to pretend like people are seeing their ads.
Ive never met a single person who looks at online ads on a news page or something, and legitimately thinks it's a smart idea to click the link and buy the product.
If I was even running a multinational corporation, I would pay to make sure my ads weren't online - because its the one sure fire way people will never buy your product and think your company is shit.
I'm imagining code snippets that would actually download ads into applications people are writing. This would target those that copy/paste'd code without having any concept of what the code in question does.
Integrated into vibe now
Genius
Funding boost? Didn't they make a big deal with OpenAI or some other LLM provider like 6 months ago?
Edit: I looked it up and it was both Google and OpenAI, but more than a year ago. I guess that's what you get as LLM users use those instead of visiting your website, and non-LLM users stop contributing
Line must go up.
while maintaining transparency and user value
Yeah, that you'll lose.
Any "article" starting with the words "in the ever evolving world of"... Lost its credibility before it was even published.
God what an awful, awful time to be alive.
Yeah “changing”, sure. But “evolving” implies things are changing for the ”better”, which they are not.
aiming to fund enhancements while maintaining transparency and user value. Critics fear erosion of trust and misinformation. This move reflects efforts to balance revenue with community integrity amid AI-driven industry shifts.
Pure business bullshit bingo.
By weaving ads into the natural flow of content, the platform hopes to deliver relevant promotions—think coding tools or job listings—directly to developers in their moment of need. This approach could foster a more symbiotic relationship between advertisers and the community, where sponsored content provides genuine value rather than interruption.
Mh, as usual ads will provide genuine value
That's embarrassing.
Wow fuck these clowns
What's the point, don't ads pay per impression? Are there actually more than 5 people still using stackoverflow? I can't see how this would make them any money.