Trade Desk CEO: Google's AI Search Pivot Abandons Open Web
Jeff Green argues that Google's shift to AI-generated answers breaks its founding promise while advertisers have already moved to streaming and connected TV.
Google's transformation of search into an AI-powered answer engine represents a fundamental break from the company's founding promise to connect users with the broader internet, according to Jeff Green, co-founder and CEO of The Trade Desk.
In a sponsored post published by Business Insider, Green argues that Google has quietly dismantled the arrangement that made it successful: indexing the open web and directing traffic to content creators in exchange for ad revenue. The company's AI search now provides answers directly within Google's interface, reducing the need for users to visit external websites.
The shift in advertising dollars
The Trade Desk, which helps Fortune 500 companies allocate advertising budgets, has witnessed a dramatic migration away from traditional web browsing. Green notes that browser-based website advertising now represents only 10% of the company's ad spend, down from the majority a decade ago.
The remaining 90% has shifted to what Green calls the "premium open internet" — streaming services, connected TV, music platforms, sports content, and podcasts that operate outside Google's ecosystem. Companies including Disney, Netflix, Spotify, Paramount, Peacock, and Fox have built direct relationships with advertisers and audiences.
According to Green, connected TV has become the fastest-growing premium advertising channel, with no single company controlling access. This shift occurred while Google spent recent years building what he characterizes as a "super-walled garden" around its search product.
Traffic decline and business impact
The New York Times reported in late July that Google's AI-driven search redesign encourages longer user sessions within Google's interface, with users leaving less frequently to visit external sites. Traffic to websites that previously relied on Google search referrals is declining, and some businesses dependent on that traffic are being sold or shutting down.
Google has responded to criticism by citing aggregate click volume, maintaining that billions of clicks still flow to external sites with relatively stable numbers. Green counters that these figures come exclusively from Google itself, questioning the reliability of self-reported metrics from the company implementing the changes.
Why it matters
This critique from a major advertising technology executive signals a potential inflection point in digital advertising economics. If the industry's largest advertisers are indeed shifting hundreds of billions in annual search advertising spend toward streaming and connected platforms, it could reshape both how content gets funded and which companies control access to audiences. For publishers and content creators, the implication is stark: the traffic model that sustained web publishing for two decades may require fundamental reinvention, even as alternative distribution channels through streaming and audio platforms expand.
Green frames the situation as an opportunity, noting that Google's search advertising market share — representing hundreds of billions in annual revenue — is now "up for grabs" as the company pivots away from its traditional model.
The analysis was first published by Business Insider as sponsored content from The Trade Desk.
This is an original analysis by the Omega editorial team. Source reporting: AI Watch.
Want systems like this working for your business?
Book a Call