X and WFA Settle, but the Brand Safety Wars Are Far From Over

X and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) have settled their brand safety dispute, but the broader conflict over ad placement and content moderation remains unresolved. The settlement comes as Google and Meta face investor skepticism over their massive AI-driven capital expenditure projections of up to $205 billion and $145 billion, respectively, for 2026.

A version of this story was originally published in AI, Tech & Money, a free, weekly newsletter packed with news and exclusive analysis on all things tech, platforms, and deals in advertising and media. Sign up for it here. Welcome to this week’s edition of AI, Tech & Money https://www.adweek.com/media/introducing-ai-tech-money/ . I’m Kendra Barnett, reporting from New York. Q2 earnings are chugging along, and the clear theme emerging from the earliest filings in Silicon Valley with Google, Microsoft, and Meta figures now in is that the bill is coming due on gargantuan AI-driven capex. Justifications offered by both Google and Meta on their mind-boggling 2026 spend projections, up to $205 billion and $145 billion, respectively, didn’t appear to convince investors. UNLOCK FULL ACCESS Subscribe and get full access to the news, insights, and expertise that keep industry professionals ahead of the curve. VIEW ALL SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS /adweek-subscription-2026/