SSPs be running wild, man.
That’s how it feels months after a federal court ruled Google acted monopolistically to control the online ad industry’s publisher ad server and ad exchange markets. While we’re still waiting on final remedies in the DOJ’s case against Google, adtech companies have been lining up with follow-on suits. OpenX was the first SSP, People Inc. (Dotdash Meredith) the first publisher, and now PubMatic has filed its own complaint.
PubMatic alleges Google’s “illegal actions directly and measurably impacted” the company, preventing it from reaching “its full potential in terms of market share and revenue growth” and keeping it from competing on “a level playing field.”
Why This Matters:
The litigation is piling up—and it’s no surprise. If a U.S. district court found Google engaged in years of illegal, anticompetitive behavior, as it did in April, SSPs, publishers, and others in adtech are bound to seek damages.
By the way, Google put forward its proposed remedies a couple of days ago and you will be shocked to learn that they don’t recommend structural changes like spinning off AdX, instead focusing on opening access and loosening restrictions.
Experts React:
Rajeev Goel, PubMatic’s co-founder and CEO, had this to say about the suit:
“Google’s systematic abuse of its vast resources and immense power has harmed our business and distorted a marketplace that should have rewarded innovation and fueled transparency and competition. Instead, anticompetitive practices limited monetization for publishers, raised costs for advertisers, and ultimately reduced choice for consumers.”
In conjunction with the lawsuit, PubMatic launched a content hub with updates and FAQs about the case. Here’s how the company explains its timing, for example, per the site:
“The recent antitrust ruling against Google in April 2025 laid a strong foundation for further legal action as the Court found that Google ‘deprived rivals of the ability to compete.’
PubMatic, as a direct competitor that has been impacted by this conduct, is now taking action to seek redress for the harm we have suffered.”
Also worth noting: adtech X has been all over the suit today with some good takes. See a few notable ones here:
Our Take:
Expect more lawsuits. Google was just hit with a multibillion-euro fine from the EU over its adtech dominance, and U.S. courts are still weighing remedies in the DOJ case. The industry’s legal fight with Google is only heating up.
