Google’s Advertising Monopoly on Trial: Ari Paparo on OpenX, Antitrust, and the Future of Media, Podcast

Telecom Reseller / Technology Reseller News

"It’s as if we were both JP Morgan and the New York Stock Exchange." — Quoting a Google executive in his new book, Ari Paparo lays out the case against the tech giant. In this Technology Reseller News podcast, Publisher Doug Green interviews Ari Paparo, CEO of Marketecture TV and author of Yield: How Google Bought, Built, and Bullied Its Way to Advertising Dominance. Paparo draws on two decades in ad tech—including his time at DoubleClick during its $3.1 billion acquisition by Google—to explain how the search giant built a commanding position across the digital advertising ecosystem. The conversation centers on the OpenX civil suit against Google, which follows a federal court ruling finding Google guilty of abusing its monopoly in advertising technology. Paparo details how Google’s control of both the ad server market and the AdX exchange created a “tie” that locked out competitors, costing companies like OpenX market share and even forcing layoffs. With Google facing multiple antitrust actions worldwide—including parallel cases in search and app stores—Paparo says the September remedies trial could reshape the economics of online publishing. The discussion also examines the broader implications for news organizations and independent publishers, with Paparo predicting that breaking Google’s control could open access to new advertising demand sources such as Meta. However, he warns that the rise of AI could create a new winner-take-all dynamic, potentially replacing one dominant gatekeeper with another. For advertisers, Paparo advises pragmatism—continue investing where ROI is strongest, chiefly Google and Meta—while publishers should focus on controlling their distribution through channels like email and podcasts rather than relying on referral traffic. Paparo’s Yield—currently a #1 Amazon bestseller in the media category—offers what he describes as a “Michael Lewis–style” narrative for understanding the stakes of ad tech dominance, its impact on journalism, and the uncertain future of an open web. Learn more about Ari Paparo’s work at aripaparo.com or find Yield on Amazon and major booksellers.