Want to build ad products that crush? There’s been lots of talk about Identity on the open web (yes, it’s part of the equation), but Meta has some of the best ad products out there not b/c of identity (anymore) but b/c of their capabilities in matching ads to content. Viant has some of the best identity products on the open web but matching ads to content will be one of the largest opportunities in creating better ad products that rival Meta & Google. We need major investment here.

Everyone thinks Facebook killed MySpace, but the real assassin was Google—using its monopoly to dismantle us piece by piece. If it could happen to the world’s largest website, it could happen to anyone. Here’s the untold story of how Google controlled traffic, manipulated Comscore numbers, and used YouTube and Gmail to bury us. In 2006, MySpace became the largest website globally, not just due to social networking but because of its dominance in music. MySpace was the only platform licensed by all four major record labels to provide music videos and streaming audio. We had over 40 million songs from unlicensed artists, and for many, topping the MySpace music charts was a fast track to a record deal. However, our decline wasn’t primarily due to Facebook—it was a calculated takedown by Google. Late in 2006, Google acquired YouTube and quickly integrated it into their ecosystem. By licensing music videos, which now account for ~30% of all YouTube plays, Google positioned YouTube as THE dominant force it is today, directly competing with MySpace’s music stronghold. But Google didn’t stop there. They knew that controlling search traffic was key to dominating the internet. Google manipulated search results, prioritizing their properties, like YouTube, over competitors. Their acquisition of DoubleClick allowed them to redirect ad dollars and traffic away from MySpace, starving us of visibility and engagement. As proof, in 2011, Google launched Google Plus to compete with Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Google integrated it with YouTube, Gmail, and search, artificially boosting its visibility. Within weeks, Google Plus had 10 million users; by the end of 2011, it had 90 million. Google also introduced the ‘social’ inbox in Gmail, filtering notifications from competing networks into a separate tab, making users feel like there was less activity on those platforms, accelerating their decline. As Google’s control over online traffic grew, so did their ability to shape the narrative. Comscore numbers, heavily relied upon by journalists and analysts, were manipulated by Google’s control over search and traffic. This led to the belief that Facebook was killing MySpace when, in reality, Google was the silent executioner. By the time YouTube fully integrated with Google’s ecosystem, MySpace was no longer the dominant platform it once was, and the narrative had been rewritten. Google didn’t just outcompete MySpace—they dismantled us using their monopolistic power. If they could do it to the world’s largest website, they could do it to anyone. This isn’t just a story about the past; it’s a warning for the future. When one company controls search, content, advertising, email, and even user identity, they control the entire internet. It’s time to break up Google before they bury more competition in the shadows. If it happened to MySpace, it can happen to you. This is the power of Google and its unmatched.

Tim Vanderhook Radio on Myspace newstage.myspace.com/thook19…

Just watched Orlando go up a game on King James...

Just checking this out to see what it's like