Holding companies are trying to disintermediate ad tech but lack the talent to succeed
WPP still routes most programmatic spend through Trade Desk despite billions spent building internal tech, while Omnicom's AI agent tests face the same engineering retention problem that killed prior buildouts.
WPP programmatic execution still routed through Trade Desk despite internal tech investment
WPP's CFO publicly challenged Trade Desk's market position while WPP still spends over $2B annually through their platform, revealing negotiation theater rather than genuine replacement capability.
One pattern. Trace it.
- 01
A pattern worth naming
Track whether Publicis and IPG follow with competing announcements. (2) WPP account movement — with a 6.7% revenue decline and a self-described 'long road ahead,' monitor pitch activity and client reviews through Q2; displaced accounts will create a wave of new business opportunities.
- Shift
Omnicom moved from disintermediation rhetoric to active AI agent testing designed to bypass DSPs and SSPs
- Shift
Holdco tech teams lost over 40% of senior engineering talent to cloud platforms between 2020-2023
- Shift
CTV pod bidding mechanics now require SSP integration regardless of buyer, making full disintermediation structurally impossible
“If Omnicom's AI agents cut programmatic fees by 30%, which of our current tech vendors lose their seat at the table — and what's our build-vs-buy timeline?”
Ask your programmatic lead which intermediaries you'd lose inventory access to if you built proprietary buying tools, then price the talent required to build them.
By Joseph Lancaster, Editor — with research from Pine Needle's intelligence layer.
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