The Vergecast Big Tech is back on trial
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Apr 18, 2025 
Alex Heath, a reporter at The Verge specializing in Meta and the social media industry, dives into the latest antitrust trials shaking the tech world. He discusses how Google’s recent ad-tech monopoly loss could revolutionize the digital landscape. The conversation also touches on Meta’s courtroom battles, with Mark Zuckerberg defending the integrity of Instagram and WhatsApp. The talk shifts to OpenAI's ambitions to launch a social network, blending humor and insights on competition among tech giants.
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Google's Ad Tech Monopoly Simplified
- Google controls the core of the web advertising ecosystem through ownership of key products.
- This monopoly harms competition and forces publishers to use Google's expensive, poor-quality ad products.
Google's Auction Advantages Explained
- Google's policies like First Look and Last Look give them unfair auction advantages.
- This setup allows Google to profit heavily at publishers' expense, reinforcing monopoly power.
Open Web's Existential Threat
- The open web is under existential pressure due to Google's ad practices and AI scraping.
- If the open web dies, Google's future and the broader internet's openness are at risk.