"The breakup that wasn't supposed to be possible: Publicly, Google has argued that breaking up its ad tech stack would be all but impossible. Privately, it's been mapping out how to do exactly that. Internal documents during the trial revealed that for years, Google has been pressure-testing how a separation might work. "Project Sunday", launched in 2020 and revisited in 2021, explored how to split key components of its ad tech stack within its own infrastructure."
"Then came "Project Monday" in 2023 - a more radical scenario that explored a scenario of discontinuing parts of the ad business. The takeaway: splitting off AdX and forcing a fairer, more transparent marketplace isn't just possible - it's something Google has mapped out in detail. And it wasn't just an internal thought experiment: Google commissioned investment banking firm Lazard to look into selling AdX back in 2020."
"Still, none of that soul-searching translated into generosity: Pour one out for the publishers still hoping for a better deal from ad tech under Google's ownership. Its vp and gm Tim Craycroft made it clear during testimony: Google has no plans to lower Adx's 20% take rate. That cut, long a point of contention among publishers, isn't up for negotiation - at least under Google's own"
Remedies-phase court proceedings combined legal arguments with industry theatrics as Google executives described the company's ad tech architecture as a 'bowl of spaghetti,' invoking quantum encryption and undersea cables to argue that a structural breakup would be technically difficult. Internal documents revealed multi-year contingency projects—'Project Sunday' (2020–2021) and 'Project Monday' (2023)—that mapped detailed ways to separate core ad-tech components and even contemplated discontinuing parts of the ad business. Google also engaged Lazard in 2020 to explore selling AdX. Despite those internal plans, company leadership said there are no plans to reduce AdX's approximately 20% take rate.
Read at Digiday
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