Axios

The third Republican primary debate drew 7.5 million viewers Wednesday night, a 21% decline from the second GOP debate in September, according to Nielsen ratings.

Why it matters: The Republican debates haven't been able to draw as many eyeballs without former President Donald Trump on the stage.

It's been a rough year for dating apps.

Why it matters: The stock prices of the big public dating app companies have plunged this year, as online dating lost its luster with Generation Z.

Fabricio Drumond, Axios' chief business officer, has more original ideas for clever ad campaigns or new products than almost anyone I know in American media. Which makes sense because he came to us from... the Brazilian feed and fertilizer industry.

• No, I'm not yanking your chain. Fab, as we call him, was the chief operating officer of a biotech company in São Paulo when we hired him to oversee revenue.

Irina Dilkinska, 42, the head of compliance for OneCoin, the multi-billion euro multi-level marketing scheme, pled guilty Thursday to wire fraud and money laundering charges.

Why it matters: OneCoin is one of the most notorious early schemes associated with the cryptocurrency industry, generating €4 billion in revenue between 2014 and 2016, from over three million people.

Automatic service charges are widely unpopular among Americans, new Pew Research Center data reveals.

• 72% say they oppose businesses adding additional fees, including tips, on bills, regardless of group size, including 50% who strongly oppose.

G/O Media said Thursday that it's suspending its female-focused brand Jezebel and laying off 23 editorial staffers as part of a broader restructuring.

Why it matters: The cuts are the latest in a string of changes G/O Media has made to its portfolio in recent years amid volatility in the digital media industry.

As chief communications officer at Colgate-Palmolive, Paula Davis is responsible for managing the reputation of its 30-plus brands, which are found in more homes than any other brand in the world.

Corporate spinoffs can present the ultimate communications challenge.

Why it matters: Failing to clearly state why a business will be better off as a separate entity from its parent company risks losing support from employees, customers, investors and the media — and could threaten the performance of the new spinoff.

AI's story is still in its first chapter, and anything can happen. Business empires will emerge and topple, sharp fights will break out at the boundary between human and machine, and life with the tools we're building will just keep getting weirder.

Driving the news: Those were the only points on which leaders and critics of the AI revolution who spoke yesterday at Axios' first AI+ Summit in San Francisco seemed to agree.

Arm CEO Rene Haas knows that the first rule of post-IPO earnings is to meet or beat Wall Street expectations. And he thought his chip design giant had cleared the bar yesterday, until the market disagreed.

Driving the news: Arm, which in September raised $5 billion in the year's largest U.S. IPO, reported earnings for its second fiscal quarter the closing bell.

Don't assume that studios and unions putting media labor battles in the rearview mirror, means cameras will start rolling immediately.

Reality check: The process to clear schedules and book studio space means cameras won't be rolling again until January at the earliest.

SAG-AFTRA, the union that represents Hollywood actors, on Wednesday announced a tentative agreement with the major studios that will end their 118-day strike.

Why it matters: The deal, if ratified by the union's members, would bring an end to a lengthy labor battle that has halted TV and film production for months.