Jeff Green is making his case today for The Trade Desk in a piece published on the company’s own publication, The Current.
And it’s an emphatic, muscular case following the indie DSP CEO putting his money where his mouth is this week and buying $150 million in TTD shares. (As far as we can tell, that’s one of the largest — if not the largest — CEO stock purchases in recent tech history.) Hence the title of the piece: “Why I spent $150M on my own company???”
The main point, among several others, is simple: the “future is bright,” and TTD’s approach “is the right one.”
Why This Matters:
Clearly, TTD is in a position it has rarely been in before: to fight.
The company has seen its stock slide roughly 55% over the past year. But according to Green, the company still has the “right approach” for the future.
That future is centered on AI.
“Kokai is able to analyze 20 million ad opportunities every second,” Green writes. “We believe we have the industry’s most advanced AI and the industry’s richest, most refined, objective and trusted data platform.”
Obviously, TTD understands that AI needs to be central to its story. And to be fair, the company has a credible narrative here around Kokai and its bidding infrastructure, positioning it as AI-driven.
Green also hints at the next phase of that future, noting that “over time TTD will also have access to two new types of highly effective inventory — chatbot inventory and sponsored shopping listings.”
That comment is notable. It comes amid recent rumors that TTD could potentially partner with OpenAI around advertising inside ChatGPT.
Either way, it’s clear Green wants investors and the industry to understand that AI — and AI-driven inventory — will be central to the company’s next chapter.
Experts React:
One of the more fascinating claims Green makes concerns Amazon. In a section titled “Amazon DSP is overrated,” he writes:
“I don’t believe Amazon has a DSP in five years. I think O&O will be way bigger in their future.”
Shots fired.
Green has made similar arguments before about Google — namely that companies that own large media ecosystems ultimately prioritize their owned-and-operated inventory over open programmatic platforms.
Still, it’s a bold claim. Amazon’s adtech business continues to grow rapidly, and its DSP has gained obvious momentum in recent years.
Our Take:
While we’ve been critical of some of The Trade Desk’s moves before (Ventura comes to mind), we like the tone here.
Be scrappy. Fight.
After a tough stretch for the stock and increased competitive pressure across the DSP landscape, Green is clearly trying to reset the narrative around The Trade Desk.
And if nothing else, putting $150 million of your own money on the line is a pretty strong way to do it.
