For 20 years, the deal between Google and publishers was simple: you make the content, Google sends the traffic, everybody eats. That deal is breaking — and for the first time, some of the biggest names on the web are openly asking whether they'd be better off shutting down Google's content supply pipe entirely.

In a July 21st report, the Wall Street Journal laid out how Reddit, USA Today, Politico, Reuters, People Inc., and the Economist are all re-evaluating whether — and how — to keep working with Google, as AI Overviews answer the question right on the results page and keep the click that used to land on their sites.

One thing worth getting straight before the headlines blur it: nobody's pulled the plug yet. These are boardroom conversations, not done deals. But when this many major publishers start saying the same thing out loud, the conversation itself is the story.

What the publishers are actually saying

• Reddit has reportedly discussed shutting off Google's access to its content for AI use. It signed a $60-million-a-year deal in 2024 letting Google train on its posts — that deal's up for renewal, and Reddit's now asking what it still gets from feeding the machine.
• USA Today's parent is weighing blocking Google's crawler outright, which would pull it from both AI summaries and the blue links. CEO Mike Reed's line: "It's time to take a stand and say enough is enough." The company also has an ad-tech monopoly suit pending against Google.
• People Inc....