Why Cloudflare wants AI companies to pay for content

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… or just wishful thinking.

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 will be back next week, and for those of you in the U.S., enjoy the long holiday weekend!

Equity is TechCrunch’s flagship podcast, produced by Theresa Loconsolo, and posts every Wednesday and Friday. 

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.