You may be used to having your streaming experience interrupted with ads, but Netflix is still getting its head around the ad world: The streaming giant is being forced to contend with an ad-supported subscription after weathering two consecutive quarters of subscriber losses and losing roughly two-thirds of its stock value this year, the Wall Street Journal reports. Netflix has always balked at running ads, but the change of heart comes amid a bloated landscape of competitors and the reality of growth challenges, bolstered by Netflix’s market research showing customer satisfaction hadn’t dipped for subscribers using Hulu and HBO Max’s ad-supported plans. The company’s historic disdain of ads means that it’s “pivoting from a position of weakness,” with a quick shift of gears requiring it to build a side of the business from scratch, the WSJ notes.

Luxury brands are diving further into the NFTs cryposphere despite the “crypto winter” slump. Gucci has expanded payment methods to include ApeCoin at some of its stores, while Tiffany & Co. launched NFTs as a way to create custom physical jewelry, Bloomberg reports. These moves coincide with a weakening NFT market alongside a wider crypto wipeout of USD 2 tn from the total sector value. However, luxury consumer companies continue to see NFTs (explainer) and Web3.0 (explainer) as a way to reach and engage with customers. In fact, a crypto startup head tells the business information service that brands may actually be pleased that price speculation has dropped. The recent launches would appear to show their belief in NFTs as a way to engage their consumers digitally, not just making a quick dime.

Did you have a kind pandemic boss? That “kind CEO” era may be fading away: After executives and management teams showed support and understanding for their employees during (trigger warning) unprecedented times, a downturning global economy is now forcing them to have tougher conversations amid tightening budgets, the Wall Street Journal says. Tech giants Google and Meta have been urging staff to work with greater intensity using fewer resources, and low performers are being weeded out. CEOs appear to be bracing for an incoming recession by adjusting strategy and policies for the economic downturn, ditching remote work and forcing staff back into the office to push sharper focus and prioritization of projects. However, executives warn the WSJ that bosses should tread the hard line carefully in a climate where unemployment remains low and great hires can jump ship if management policies are too strict. “Great leadership is as steady as possible, it’s not very efficient to hit the accelerator and slam on the brakes all the time,” Zillow’s CEO tells the WSJ.