Google’s 87% Market Share Under Fire As US District Court Judge Weighs Ad Tech Divestiture

were tailored, as law requires, to the technology in the case at hand and the complexity of the ad tech system,” said Karen Dunn, Google’s lawyer. The government disagreed: Nothing short of a structural divestment is sufficient to bring meaningful change, countered DOJ lawyer Julia Tarver Wood. What’s at Stake?

Billions, Innovation—and the Future of Digital Ads Google’s ad tech system controls an estimated 87% of the publisher-side ad serving market in the United States, allowing it to extract up to 20% fees on every auction, according to DOJ arguments. The digital ads industry is now valued at $305 billion annually.

Testimony showed publishers’ ad revenues have stagnated, while Google’s ad business doubled to $30 billion in a decade.

Publishers, represented by witnesses such as Grant Whitmore of Advance Local, insisted a breakup is needed for true competitive balance: breaking up the pieces of Google’s ad tech supply chain would offer the ability to get to a more level playing field.