Scoop: Mobile adtech company Verve laid off parts of its staff in late Aug and early Sept, @adweek.bsky.social has learned. Cuts primarily affected the marketplace team. The reorg came ahead of the announcement of Verve's €16.2M acquisition of Captify this month. www.adweek.com/media/exclus...

NEW for @adweek.bsky.social: BI accuses Google of rigging ad auctions & suppressing publisher revenues in new federal lawsuit. Latest in a wave of antitrust cases against the tech giant, many of which have been levied by publishers & publisher-adjacent tech firms. www.adweek.com/media/busine...

NEW: A federal lawsuit accuses indie agency Horizon Media of race & gender discrimination, retaliation & a hostile workplace. Plaintiffs say leaders marginalized Black execs, restricted resources & undermined DEI efforts. Horizon denies it. For @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/agencies/hor...

SCOOP: Scope3 laid off some of its sales team last week—part of what the firm describes as a "strategic shift" toward agentic ad solutions. One affected staffer said some other employees quit after the reorg was announced. Details in my story for @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/media/scope3...

SCOOP for ADWEEK: Top agencies mistakenly bought ads through Publicis' Epsilon SSP via opaque reselling—sending money & valuable data to a rival. Some are now blocking the platform over concerns that Publicis—the only holdco with an SSP—could gain a competitive edge. www.adweek.com/media/public...

NEW INVESTIGATION from @kendrabarnett.bsky.social: Because of the murky nature of digital ads, major advertising companies have been unknowingly sending their data to a direct competitor. www.adweek.com/media/public...

NEW: Shareholders of the The Trade Desk will vote Sept 16 on whether to change the voting structure of the company, potentially imperiling CEO Jeff Green’s control, according to an SEC filing. The board recommends keeping Green in power. For @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/programmatic...

EXCLUSIVE: Google has been testing ways to mitigate invalid traffic using Gemini-powered AI tools over the last year and a half, the company told @adweek.bsky.social. Google claims to have stemmed "deceptive or disruptive" mobile ads by 40% during a 14-month period. www.adweek.com/media/google...

NEW: Instagram on Wednesday announced a slate of product updates, including a reposting feature, a 'Friends' tab, and a messages-embedded live map akin to Snapchat's Snap Map. For @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/media/instag...

BREAKING: OpenX is suing Google, alleging the company's anti-competitive practices forced the firm to shutter its ad server and stifled competition. The filing follows an April ruling that found Google operates an illegal monopoly in adtech. For @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/media/adtech...

Exclusive for @adweek.bsky.social: X is incentivizing advertisers with lower CPMs to publish what X's head of Americas Monique Pintarelli calls "beautiful" ads. Ads will receive 'aesthetic scores'—those with low scores will pay more and be algorithmically suppressed. www.adweek.com/social-marke...

NEW for @adweek.bsky.social: Musk may not be seeking a CEO-type to fill Linda Yaccarino's shoes. That's because X's business model is transforming from an ad-supported social platform to what's likely to be a subscription-based AI utility in xAI. www.adweek.com/media/xs-fut...

BREAKING: Linda Yaccarino is stepping down as CEO of Elon Musk's X after two years in the role. Story for @adweek.bsky.social www.adweek.com/media/linda-...

EXCLUSIVE: Google has pulled some 350 apps from its Play Store after learning about an extensive fraud scheme that served out-of-context mobile ads to juice impressions. Story for @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/programmatic...

Tuesday scoop for you: X will begin testing AI-generated Community Notes today. Via an open API, users can build their own AI note writers for fact-checking. AI-generated notes will still be subject to feedback from human users. Story for @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/media/exclus...

The @adweek.bsky.social team is live-blogging its way through Cannes, dropping juicy sound bites from industry bigwigs, touring the coolest activations, documenting key announcements, & getting the goss at the most exclusive parties. Check in for regular updates! www.adweek.com/brand-market...

Scoop: Recently shuttered agency Madwell said in an email that it doubts it can pay back vendors it still owes—who are collectively due many thousands. Five people with outstanding invoices expressed disappointment & anger in conversation with @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/agencies/mad...

SCOOP: Ads for blue-chip brands ran on a TikTok-like adult video app—many via servers incl. Facebook Audience Network, Amazon, Publicis-owned Epsilon, AppLovin, Basis and InMobi. After @adweek.bsky.social's inquiry, Google blocked the app from monetizing: www.adweek.com/media/exclus...

JUST IN: The FTC is probing media rating firms Media Matters and Ad Fontes Media, asking for information about their industry ties with orgs including WFA, NewsGuard, IAB, DoubleVerify, Check My Ads, and more, according to a letter reviewed by @adweek.bsky.social:

NEW: Ads are coming to AI Mode, the AI-powered search experience launched earlier this year, Google announced at its flagship marketing event on Wednesday. Plus, ads in AI Overviews will now be served on both mobile and desktop. Story for @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/media/google...

NEW: Google today debuted a Chrome-embedded AI agent for marketers—even as threats of a Google breakup intensify amid ongoing antitrust battles. For @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/media/google...

SCOOP: DoubleVerify is suing consultancy & research firm Adalytics for alleged defamation, specifically focused on claims made in Adalytics' March bot traffic report. Story for @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/programmatic...

I'll be at Google I/O and Google Marketing Live next week at Google HQ in Mountain View, reporting for @adweek.bsky.social and connecting with tech and advertising leaders. Will you be there? Let's link up! Email: [email protected] Signal: kendra.16

NEW: X’s global head of marketing Angela Zepeda, who joined the platform in September, told @adweek.bsky.social on Wednesday that X will launch a brand campaign sometime "after Cannes" this year. Story here: www.adweek.com/media/x-mark...

Less than two weeks after the closure of indie agency Madwell—which followed the messy legal falling-out of its cofounders and a spate of financial woes—one of its founders, David Eisenman, is back with a solo venture. I've got the exclusive for @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/agencies/mad...

📊 @kendrabarnett.bsky.social reports Google’s AI Max for Search ads increase conversions by 14% using Gemini, but is this just a distraction from antitrust heat? 👇 tinyurl.com/mpdjf5jm

NEW for @adweek.bsky.social: To address Google's partial monopoly in adtech, DOJ is calling for the divestitures of both AdX & DFP "as soon as possible." it wrote Monday. Google has snapped back, saying the proposals "go significantly beyond the Court's narrow ruling." www.adweek.com/media/doj-wa...

Gm Google! 🫡

🚨EXCLUSIVE🚨: Embattled indie agency Madwell will cease operations at 11:59 pm tonight. In a memo to staffers sent Wednesday evening, CEO Chris Sojka announced the closure. Read Sojka's full email in this @adweek.bsky.social exclusive: www.adweek.com/agencies/mad...

Loved catching up with the inimitable @katiecouric.bsky.social at Possible Miami about what she and her business partner (and husband!) John Molner are up to at Katie Couric Media these days. Stay tuned...story coming soon! 👀

NEW for @adweek.bsky.social: Meta today announced that it is rolling out a ChatGPT-like AI app, bringing the capabilities of its Llama 4 model beyond its social platforms and into a standalone platform with text, voice, and image capabilities. Full story here: www.adweek.com/media/meta-l...

EXCLUSIVE: Lawmakers are urging Zuck to cull AI chatbots that have engaged minors in sexually explicit conversations. Senators said "Meta consistently chooses growth and engagement metrics over the protection of its most vulnerable users." For @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/media/senato...

NEW: I spoke to industry insiders and analysts to bring you a detailed list of the winners and losers of Google's cookie bait & switch. Hint: TTD is likely rejoicing, while Criteo may be mourning its Privacy Sandbox sunk costs. For @adweek.bsky.social: www.adweek.com/media/the-wi...

🚨EXCLUSIVE🚨: NYT is suing embattled ad agency Madwell over alleged unpaid advertising bills. My latest for @adweek.bsky.social: :https://www.adweek.com/agencies/exclusive-the-new-york-times-sues-madwell-for-37000-in-unpaid-advertising-bills/

Amazing article capped off by a perfect viral loop to launch adspeak, in what is easily the most insane CEO interview of all time. Is it satire? Performance art? You decide. open.spotify.com/episode/46Z6...

Scoop for @adweek.bsky.social: DoubleVerify has threatened to sue adtech watchdog Check My Ads for alleged defamation over statements tied to Adalytics reports. The nonprofit responded: "Legal demands that chill researchers...only reinforce the need for transparency." www.adweek.com/programmatic...

SCOOP for @adweek.bsky.social: Madwell has furloughed an estimated 20-30 employees—around 28% of its staff—as it grapples with severe financial distress. The move follows the loss of major client Verizon, missed payroll cycles, and over $4M in BofA loan defaults. www.adweek.com/agencies/mad...

This morning we launched Adspeak, @adweek.bsky.social's new flagship pod! Ep 1: EIC Ryan Joe & I go behind the scenes on our investigation into controversy-riddled agency Madwell—how we found the story, got insiders to talk & what’s next for the agency. Listen now: open.spotify.com/show/54n1zg3...

NEW for @adweek.bsky.social: Zuck took the stand today as the FTC's historic antitrust case against Meta kicks off. He rejected the agency's claims that Meta's acquisitions of IG and WhatsApp over a decade ago constituted a an unlawful effort to stamp out competition. www.adweek.com/media/zucker...

Two Lawsuits Allege The Trade Desk Secretly Violates Consumer Privacy Laws www.adweek.com/programmatic... by @kendrabarnett.bsky.social Let’s see of this passes standing #programmatic #UID2 #DMP #DSP

@adweek.bsky.social SCOOP: BofA is attempting to collect money it’s owed from controversy-riddled agency Madwell and other entities owned by Chris Sojka after the orgs defaulted on more than $4 million of loans—then defaulted on post-settlement payments to the bank. www.adweek.com/agencies/ban...

📣 SCOOP 📣 Leaked documents obtained by @adweek.bsky.social reveal that Omnicom is offering ad agencies a range of financial incentives of up to $200,000 for buying ads on X.

NEW: Madwell appears to be in financial & cultural disarray under Chris Sojka, a major @adweek.bsky.social investigation found. The CEO bought a $17.5M jet & splurged on diamonds for Wiz Khalifa—while employees & vendors went unpaid. Lawsuits & drug claims add to the chaos. t.co/Ld71ojnP2D

NEW: Google told @adweek.bsky.social that it plans to "explore" ads in the new AI Mode feature for Search, debuted Wednesday. But media buyers I spoke to expressed some skepticism about performance potential in such placements.

NEW for @adweek.bsky.social: Google has removed nearly 200 apps from the Play Store after IAS research uncovered a sophisticated fraud scheme that used shell Android apps to generate millions of dollars in ad revenue. t.co/UKYFoN0O7x

Scoopy scoop for @adweek.bsky.social: CTV platform @wearemntn.bsky.social will sell Ryan Reynolds' @maximumeffort.bsky.social to an "affiliate of its original owner." t.co/EXG8cyaUdc

SCOOP: Execs from Google, Amazon, and four other advertising groups responded to inquiries from bipartisan lawmakers after they inadvertently helped facilitate advertising on a site known to host child abuse material. Amazon is refunding affected advertisers. For @adweek.bsky.social: t.co/AG2zNdnMNx

NEW for @adweek.bsky.social: After watching its revenue and stock price balloon over the last year, AppLovin’s stock has dipped more than 30% in the last week among short seller frenzy. Shorts are levying unproven allegations of shady ad practices & revenue round-tripping. t.co/pEOK8hW4oO

NEW for @adweek.bsky.social: Media buyers I spoke to questioned the value of the MRC’s & TAG’s certifications after Adalytics’ CSAM report. They said accreditation processes are insufficiently rigorous & felt that, in many cases, certifications are boxes to be checked for vendors. t.co/K4iN6AH5xo

10% of Reddit's total revenue now comes from content licensing deals with OpenAI and Google, CRO Jen Wong told @adweek.bsky.social today. Still, the company's primary focus remains its ads business, which has grown 60% YoY per the company's Q4 earnings, filed today. www.adweek.com/social-marke...