8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Welcome, introductions, and briefing

Address:  LUMA Hotel, 100 Channel St.

Before we head into the heart of San Francisco’s AI and technology ecosystem, we'll begin with a welcome session designed to set the context for the days ahead. INMA Product & Tech Initiative Lead Jodie Hopperton will provide an overview of the major technology, AI, and media trends shaping the industry, introduce fellow participants, and outline the key themes to watch for throughout the tour. We'll discuss the companies we will visit, the questions media leaders should be asking as AI reshapes journalism, product development, audience relationships, and business models, and how to get the most value from the conversations ahead. The session will also provide an opportunity for participants to connect with peers from around the world before concluding with a briefing on logistics and expectations for the study tour.

David Gehring

CEO, Distributed Media Lab

10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Bus transfer to Reddit

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Visit to Reddit

Address:  303 2nd St, San Francisco

As AI reshapes the Internet, Reddit finds itself at the centre of some of the industry’s biggest debates: what happens when human conversation becomes training data, how platforms defend authentic communities from “AI slop,” and what role human connection plays in an increasingly agent-driven Web. In this candid discussion with Reddit’s leadership team, INMA members will explore how one of the world’s largest conversation platforms is thinking about AI, bots, platform integrity, pseudonymous identity, and the future of online trust. The session will examine Reddit’s efforts to preserve direct human-to-human interaction while navigating a rapidly shifting landscape where AI agents, regulation, and platform economics are rewriting the rules of the Internet.

Leslie Liu

Senior Director & Deputy General Counsel

Chris Slowe

Senior Technical fellow, Reddit

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Transfer to valley

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Microsoft

Address:  1045 La Avenida St, Mountain View

Step inside Microsoft's Mountain View campus for an unfiltered look at how one of the world's largest technology companies is rethinking its relationship with publishers and content. This stop will be a candid conversation on the future of content in an AI-driven world from the VP of Product Content Experiences. Hear how Microsoft is rebuilding its content experience from the ground up — moving away from traditional grid-based feeds toward dynamic, liquid content formats designed for the agentic AI era. And learn how editorial thinking is making a comeback alongside algorithmic curation, with a focus on "moments in time" programming that complements, rather than competes with, the machine.

Tenni Theurer

VP Product Content Experiences

3:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Transfer to Snowflake

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Visit to Snowflake

Address:  125 Constitution Dr, Menlo Park

Data has become one of the most valuable assets in media, but many organizations still struggle to connect information across audiences, content, advertising, subscriptions, and business operations. During this visit, Snowflake will showcase how leading media companies are building modern data foundations to power analytics, personalization, AI, and business growth. Participants will explore how publishers are bringing together disparate data sources, creating trusted data environments, and enabling teams across editorial, product, advertising, and subscriptions to make faster, more informed decisions. The discussion will also examine the role of data platforms in supporting generative AI, machine learning, and agentic workflows, offering a glimpse into how media organizations can turn their data into a competitive advantage in an AI-first era.

Will Allen

Head of Product, Snowflake

5:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Transfer to dinner

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Dinner in Silicon Valley with special guests

Address:  Camper, 898 Santa Cruz Avenue

A relaxed dinner, digesting the day with friends of INMA in the Bay Area.

7:30 p.m.

Bus returns to Luma hotel

Address:  LUMA Hotel, 100 Channel St.

8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Please meet at the Luma Hotel lobby at 8:15 a.m. for a sharp 8:30 departure by bus to our first visit at the day.

Address:  LUMA Hotel, 100 Channel St.

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Bus transfer to Salesforce

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Visit to Salesforce

Address:  45 Fremont Street, San Francisco

For nearly three decades, Salesforce has worked with media and entertainment companies around the world, helping publishers, broadcasters, streaming platforms, and rights holders manage audience relationships and grow revenue. During this visit, we'll explore how AI and agents are reshaping the business side of media, from advertising and subscriptions to commerce, content licensing, and intellectual property monetization. Salesforce will showcase how media organizations are applying AI across sales, marketing, analytics, and workflow automation, and discuss emerging opportunities around agentic experiences, dynamic pricing, audience engagement, and rights management. Participants will gain insight into how leading media companies are using data and AI to drive growth, improve efficiency, and unlock new revenue streams in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

Chinmayi Bettadapur

VP and General Manager, Media & Entertainment

11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Transfer to Everlaw

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Everlaw

Address:  425 Market St., San Francisco

Join Everlaw for a deep-dive session on how leading news organisations are using purpose-built legal technology to power investigative journalism at scale. Everlaw's platform — already trusted by AP, ProPublica, and Wired — offers free and heavily discounted access to journalists through its Everlaw for Good programme, with strong security, unlimited platform licenses, GDPR-compliant EU hosting, and the capacity to handle tens of millions of documents. This session goes beyond a product demo. We'll explore what media executives should be asking about AI adoption, data sovereignty, and tech stack independence — drawing on lessons from the legal sector, where these questions have been front and centre for years.

Joshua Schnoll

Chief Marketing Officer, Everlaw

Joanne Sprague

Head, Everlaw for Good

1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Travel between stops

1:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Visit to OpenAI

Address:  1455 3rd Street, San Francisco

At OpenAI, we’ll explore how media companies are using AI to transform workflows, products, and business operations. We'll discuss the latest product updates and how how AI can support everything from research and reporting to product development, coding, audience insights, and operational efficiency. We’ll discuss emerging best practices from inside and outside the news industry, what separates successful AI adoption from isolated pilots, and how media leaders should think about building AI-native organisations. As AI capabilities continue to evolve rapidly, this session will provide a practical look at where the greatest opportunities lie today — and what’s coming next.

Jim Leedham

Partner Manager, Media Partnerships

Yasser Mohammed

Applied AI Engineer, OpenAI

3:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Transfer to The San Francisco Standard

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Visit to The San Francisco Standard

Address:  290 Division Street, 3rd Floor, San Francisco

How do you build a news company from scratch in the middle of the AI revolution? Join CEO Griffin Gaffney for a behind-the-scenes look at one of America’s fastest-growing local media companies as it rethinks journalism, audience growth, and product strategy in the heart of the world’s technology ecosystem. The visit comes at a pivotal moment for The Standard, which recently received a Lenfest Institute grant to develop an AI-native news app designed to explore new ways audiences interact with local journalism. From building a digital-first newsroom and distinctive local brand to experimenting with AI-first products, this session will offer valuable lessons for publishers navigating platform disruption, changing consumer habits, and the future of news.

Griffin Gaffney

CEO, The San Francisco Standard

8:15 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

Please meet at the Luma Hotel lobby at 8:15 a.m. for a sharp 8:30 departure by bus to our first visit at the day.

Address:  LUMA Hotel, 100 Channel St.

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Bus transfer to Liveramp

9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Visit to Liveramp

Address:  225 Bush St, 17th floor

As cookies are replaced by better options and AI increases pressure on audience relationships, identity and first-party data strategy have become central to media growth. At LiveRamp, participants will explore how publishers are connecting audience data, advertising systems, and secure identity frameworks to support monetisation and personalisation in a fragmented ecosystem. The session will be especially relevant for media leaders navigating the intersection of advertising, AI, data governance, and direct audience relationships.

Bobby Chajson

Senior Director, AI Partnerships

Matthew Hogg

SVP, Connectivity & Ecosystem

Lauren Kaufman

Director, Product

10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Transfer to next stop

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Visit to Hearst

Address:  Verizon Innovation Labs 360 Spear St, San Francisco

Hearst offers a valuable publisher perspective from inside one of the world’s largest diversified media companies. The visit will focus on how a major media organisation is operationalising AI across editorial, product, advertising, data, and audience workflows while balancing governance, trust, and long-term business strategy. Participants will gain insight into how large publishers are adapting organisational structures, building internal AI capability, and navigating platform shifts without losing sight of journalism’s core value.

Alex Bautista

Associate Marketing Manager, SF Chronicle

Bill Nagel

Publisher & CEO, SF Chronicale and SF Gate

Maggie Pollard

Marketing Coordinator, Hearst

Tim O'Rourke

VP Ediorial Innovation and AI Strategy, Hearst

Brittany Schell

Director of Newsroom Projects and Operations, Hearst

12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Transfer to Cloudflare

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Visit to Cloudflare

Address:  101 Townsend Street, San Francisco

As AI agents and crawlers reshape the Web, Cloudflare sits on the front line of the new relationship between publishers and machines. Participants will explore how media companies can better understand, control, and monetise access to their content in an era of large-scale scraping and answer engines. Discussions are expected to cover bot traffic, AI permissions, content protection, infrastructure resilience, and emerging models such as pay-per-crawl. Few companies have a clearer real-time view into how the AI-driven Internet is evolving.

Lara Cohen

Vice President, Strategic Partnerships: Media, Creators & AI, Cloudflare

Sam Else

Sr. Director, Strategic Partnerships: Media, Creators & AI, Cloudflare

Arielle Weiss

Strategy at Cloudflare: Media, Creators & AI, Cloudflare

2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Transfer to next stop

3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

AWS

Address:  525 Market Street, San Francisco

At AWS, participants will explore four technology shifts shaping publishing: state-of-the-art print solutions, data governance and content provenance, direct content monetisation in an AI-driven ecosystem, and the arrival of product democratisation in newsrooms. The 90-minute visit will feature four fast-paced sessions. Each will begin with a short introduction from an AWS expert, followed by a practical roundtable discussion where participants can compare experiences, challenges, and opportunities across markets.

Ranjith K.

Principal SA, Industry specialist, Media Entertainment Sports and Games Monetization, Advertising & Marketing Tech, AWS

Megha Kande

Senior Manager - Product Management, Amazon CloudFront, AWS

Eyal Knoll Wel Roth

Monetisation in Media, EMEA Industry Specialist, AWS

Michael Schmidt

Global Director, Industry Partnerships, AWS

Dev SenGupta

Product Leader, AI Data and Content, AWS

Marcos Stupenengo

Digital-media Executive and Strategist, AWS

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

Debrief and key takeaways

Address:  525 Market Street, San Francisco

Debrief and key takeaways: We'll conclude the study tour with a facilitated discussion reflecting on the week's visits, conversations, and insights. Participants will have the opportunity to compare notes, identify emerging themes, and discuss the implications for their own organizations as AI, platforms, and new technologies continue to reshape the media industry.

5:30 p.m.

Study tour ends