Microsoft vs The Trade Desk

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Microsoft announces an upcoming event on October 7, 2026, to share the latest on Windows and Microsoft Surface.

Remakes, Remasters, Sequels: Safe Bet But Threat to Innovation

The article discusses the rising trend of video game remakes, remasters, and sequels, which are seen as safe bets for the industry but are also criticized for stifling innovation. It cites data showing that industry layoffs have been heavy since the pandemic, and that most top-selling games in Germany are sequels or remasters. The author argues that nostalgia is a powerful marketing tool used by major publishers like Microsoft, EA, and Ubisoft, but warns that an overreliance on nostalgia could harm the industry's long-term creativity. The article suggests that indie games can offer fresh experiences while still evoking nostalgia, and calls for gamers to be more open to new ideas beyond photorealism.

• Between 5,000 and 15,000 game workers lose their jobs annually since the Corona pandemic.
• Microsoft cut over 3,000 jobs in its Xbox division and shut down several studios.
• According to the German industry association Game, nine of the top 10 best-selling games in Germany in 2025 were sequels or new titles from old franchises.

Nadella's AI Pivot: Can He Reinvent Microsoft Again?

This article examines CEO Satya Nadella's efforts to transform Microsoft for the AI era. Despite a near $4 trillion market cap and early investment in OpenAI, Microsoft trails rivals like Nvidia, Anthropic, and Meta in key AI segments. The company is shifting from subscription-based pricing to consumption-based billing (UBB) for its AI products, starting with Copilot Cowork. GitHub Copilot has seen growth to 50 million users, but Microsoft lost its exclusive cloud relationship with OpenAI. Nadella promotes building a 'frontier ecosystem' rather than a single frontier model, integrating various AI models into Copilot. Challenges include sluggish Copilot adoption, competition from AI-native startups, and uncertainty among enterprise customers about usage-based costs.

• Microsoft's stock is up only 7% in 2026, trailing major peers and Nasdaq.
• GitHub Copilot reached 50 million users, up from 26 million in October 2025.
• Microsoft is shifting to usage-based billing (UBB) for AI products, starting with Copilot Cowork.

Google Antitrust Ruling Spares Ad Stack, Pressures Trade Desk

A federal judge ruled that Google must open up its ad exchange and publisher ad server to more competition but stopped short of forcing a breakup of its adtech stack. The remedies include connecting AdX and DFP to Prebid, requiring equal terms for AdX bids on alternative servers, curbing self-preferencing, and sharing auction data. For The Trade Desk, which has positioned itself as the neutral alternative to Google's walled gardens, this outcome weakens its core pitch: a fairer and more transparent auction reduces the urgency for publishers to seek alternatives like OpenPath. The article also notes that Google's decision to keep third-party cookies has already slowed adoption of alternative IDs like UID2.0. Analysts suggest The Trade Desk's narrative is shifting towards CTV and agentic advertising as the open-web competition with Google evolves.

• A federal judge ruled that Google does not have to break up its adtech stack despite monopoly findings.
• Google must integrate AdX and DFP with Prebid and ensure equal terms for AdX bids on alternative ad servers.
• The Trade Desk's alternative identity solution UID 2.0 adoption slowed after Google kept third-party cookies.

The Trade Desk's 10-Year Wall Street Journey: Booms, Busts, and Future Challenges

The Trade Desk, a leading demand-side platform, reflects on a decade since its IPO, which valued the company at $1.1 billion. Despite initial success as a champion of the open web against walled gardens, the company now faces significant headwinds: its stock has dropped 91% from its 2024 peak, revenue growth has slowed to its lowest since early Covid, and it recently laid off 15% of its staff. The article discusses the company's evolution, current pressures, and strategic battles ahead as it seeks to navigate a changing adtech landscape.

• The Trade Desk went public 10 years ago with a $1.1 billion valuation.
• The company's stock has fallen 91% below its 2024 peak.
• Revenue growth has slowed to its lowest rate since early days of the Covid pandemic.

Apple iOS 27 Blocks The Trade Desk from Serving Safari Ads

Apple's iOS 27, released on September 14, has blocked major programmatic data firms, including The Trade Desk, LiveRamp, ID5, Permutive, and Audigent, from serving ads or collecting data in Safari via a WebKit blocklist. This blocklist, dynamically updated via a private GitHub repository, fully prevents ad delivery on affected Apple devices, unlike ATT which only limited cross-app tracking. The block affects iPhone, iPad, and macOS 27.0.1, potentially impacting CDPs, DMPs, and DSPs, while Google might be exempt, raising competitive neutrality concerns. This incident underscores the power imbalance between walled gardens and the open web, reducing publisher demand and shifting market composition. It follows regulatory actions in France, Italy, Germany, and a UK class action over ATT's competitive implications, with Germany's Bundeskartellamt concluding in mid-2026 with Apple making commitments to align its data practices.

• Apple's iOS 27, released on September 14, blocks The Trade Desk's ad-serving domain (adsrvr.org) in Safari via a WebKit blocklist, also affecting LiveRamp, ID5, Permutive, and Audigent.
• Apple maintains a dynamic blocklist of hundreds of programmatic data companies in a private GitHub repository, updateable remotely without requiring iOS updates.
• The block prevents ad delivery on both iPhone and iPad, as well as macOS 27.0.1, affecting CDPs, DMPs, and DSPs, with Google possibly exempt, raising competitive neutrality concerns.