Google really doesn't want you to think the open web is in decline

"In the filing, Google said the open web "is already in rapid decline." It seemed like a startling admission for a company that has been arguing that the web is healthier than ever. But when Business Insider contacted Google for comment Monday, a spokesperson said the filing was referring to "open-web display advertising" market -the ads that appear on websites and the adtech infrastructure that facilitates them - rather than the open web itself, meaning websites that are accessible without a login."

"In its Memorandum, Google, in a handful of instances, used the shorthand phrase 'open web' when referring to 'open-web display advertising,' the company wrote in a notice to the court. An updated version of the memorandum reflected the clarification. But by then, a deluge of stories had been published about Google's perceived hypocrisy. Google execs had previously sought to reassure doubters that the open web remains in good health."

"It's easy to see why it struck a nerve. Publishers have reported traffic declines and programmatic ad revenue drops that suggest the web is, in fact, not thriving at all. Similarweb found that the median zero-click rate - the number of users who didn't click from Google's results to a website - rose from 60% to 80% when they were met with Google's AI Overviews."

Google filed court documents saying the open web "is already in rapid decline" while defending its adtech business. The company clarified that the phrase referred specifically to the open-web display advertising market, not websites accessible without a login, and filed an updated memorandum to correct the shorthand. The clarification arrived after wide coverage that framed the statement as an admission and accusations of hypocrisy. Publishers report falling traffic and programmatic ad revenue. Similarweb data shows median zero-click rates rose from 60% to 80% when users encountered Google's AI Overviews, amplifying publisher concerns about ad-driven web economics.

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