Google Confesses 'Open Web' Dead, Then Blames Ads
In a courtroom drama worthy of a Silicon Valley sitcom, Google confessed last Friday, October 4, 2016âwait, that was the Pixel launchâscratch that, in a 2025 filing, that the âopen web is already in rapid decline.â Google quickly performed verbal gymnastics to assure the world it meant 'open-web display advertising,' not the whole web, because admitting the internet's on life support is bad PR. Meanwhile, publishers whip out calculators worried about traffic drops and ad revenues drowning like a Wi-Fi signal in a basement. CEO Sundar Pichai starred in the 2016 Pixel launch fade to today's AdX ad exchange melt-down. DOJ wants Google to chop off its ad-tech limbs, while nicknames like 'walled gardens' get thrown around like cheap fertilizer. 'Distinction without a difference,' sighs Jason Kint from Digital Content Next, presumably scrolling Googleâs homepage.
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Google accidentally admits the âopen webâ is dying, then quickly clarifies it only means the ads we all ignore. Meanwhile, publishers cry, AI summary links kill clicks, and DOJ is readying the axe. Webâs health check: comatose with a faint pulse from search ads.
Google says the open webâs dying but itâs just adsâbecause who needs actual websites when you can have endless targeted junk everywhere instead?
Imagine Google saying, âThe internet is failingâ and then backpedaling faster than a kid caught stealing cookies. Thatâs tech PR for you.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 9/9/2025 | Author: Hugh Langley,Lara O'Reilly
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