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TheZebra appoints Daniel Herrington as Chief AI Officer. * February 19, 2026 TheZebra.com, the leading insurance comparison platform, announced Daniel Herrington as its new Chief AI Officer. Herrington brings more than ten years of AI leadership from Google, Vroom, Priceline, and Capital One. He joins TheZebra to accelerate innovation in insurance technology and improve digital customer experiences. Herrington will be responsible for AI strategy in engineering, products, and advisor tools to make insurance easier and smarter. His role will also ensure that things work more smoothly in the marketing, legal, finance, and development teams. This is a strategic hire that reflects TheZebra's commitment to being a leader in AI and new insurance technology. Herrington to drive AI innovation at TheZebra. In his new role, Herrington will enhance AI capabilities so that customers can do more and advisors can do more. He will ensure that TheZebra develops smarter search and coverage solutions that will help customers get better insurance. His team will work to optimize solutions that enable agents to serve customers quickly with accurate and personalized information. The technology development strategy is intended to provide customers with better options and quicker insurance decisions in a competitive market. TheZebra believes these developments are critical to meeting today's customer expectations. CEO highlights Herrington's value. "Daniel advised us for a few months, helping to sort through the AI hype to identify the real, exceptional opportunities we have to harness this technology. I am thrilled that he has joined us full-time," said Keith Melnick, CEO of The Zebra. "AI enables us to make the process of buying and managing insurance clearer, faster and more personalized for consumers, while also empowering our advisors with smarter tools to deliver better results. Daniel's experience building sophisticated AI products at-scale, paired with a deep understanding of how technology should serve real people, is exactly aligned with our values and vision." Melnick added that Herrington's deep technology experience aligns strongly with TheZebra's vision and values. Herrington on Industry Transformation "I spent more than three years building the engine behind the AI revolution alongside a world-class team at Google," said Herrington. "I see the insurance industry as the next great galaxy for AI applications. It is a sector ripe for transformation, and I am incredibly excited to bring my experience to The Zebra to lead that charge." Herrington said he intends to push AI innovation and simplify how people compare and buy insurance coverage. For more stories on technology leaders shaping the future of enterprise solutions, visit its CXO Insiders. News Source: Businesswire.com CXO Insiders. * February 18, 2026

TheZebra.com projects 19 states will see an increase in auto insurance premiums in 2026. AUSTIN, Texas, January 13, 2026-(BUSINESS WIRE)-TheZebra.com, the easiest way to compare and buy insurance, today released its 2026 State of Insurance(TM) | Auto Report. The annual report, which utilizes The Zebra's Dynamic Insurance Rating Tool (DIRT), projects that in the first two quarters of 2026, 19 states will see an increase in auto insurance premiums, while 13 may see a decrease. These findings come after average auto insurance premiums rose three percent nationally from 2024 to 2025, compared to a drastic 18 percent jump the previous year, suggesting rates may be stabilizing. In 2026, The Zebra projects the typical American driver will pay $2,256 on average in annual auto insurance premiums. "Americans are facing rising auto insurance costs due to various factors, including economic pressures, population growth in dense areas and severe weather," said David Seider, chief commercial officer at The Zebra. "While competition and targeted rate reductions give consumers opportunities to save, most renewals will remain high. If the economy weakens, insurance could take a growing bite out of take-home pay, prompting more frequent shopping for better deals - or even causing some to forego coverage altogether." To understand the true impact of these rates on Americans' wallets, The Zebra also launched The Zebra Premium Pressure Index (ZPPI), a new proprietary metric comparing insurance premium data against broader economic indicators. ZPPI provides a more comprehensive view of not just the cost of insurance, but how affordable it is for consumers. For example, Americans are spending 2.6 percent of their annual income on auto insurance, according to ZPPI. * Among non-luxury brands, the Nissan GT-R is the most expensive model to insure at nearly $400 per month. Meanwhile, the Ford Bronco is the least expensive model to insure at $76 per month. * According to ZPPI, residents of Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida are spending nearly five percent of their annual income on auto insurance. * Vermont, Minnesota, and Mississippi are expected to see 6-13 percent decreases, while Oregon, Maryland, and Utah are forecasted to see 8-21 percent increases in insurance prices. * A total of six states saw a greater than 50 percent increase in insurance prices from 2024-2025 (Louisiana, Nevada, New York, Georgia, Maryland and Utah). * On average, texting while driving leads to a 17 percent premium increase.