[g00gler]

You can also say the search engine and operating system drive the ad network.

Google the search engine could charge an ad network a lot for the right to show sponsored results and provide analytics.

Android/Chrome could charge a lot for user data, analytics, have their own mobile ad network and app store. Android could also start charging a licensing fee to vendors

Etc etc

[zepto]

How does any of this help anyone?

It seems like it just creates a lot of inefficiency.

[g00gler]

More companies, more jobs, more competition.

For example, other ad networks can buy ad placement in google search.

[zepto]

Since google will still be the monopoly search engine, all the profits will still be captured by Google.

There may be some completion in ad networks, most likely racing to the bottom since margins on ad-tech will be razor thin.

This will do nothing but make things worse.

[lonelappde]

If Google is a search monopoly (or really and ad impressions monopoly, which is the core issue for competition) that's another issue to address.

[zepto]

They aren’t separate issues.

Google being a search monopoly is the only issue. Breaking the ad business away won’t change anything except make things worse for the consumer.

Working out how to make search competitive is the issue.

[satya71]

It will allow other ad networks to compete. And other search engines to get ad revenue.

[zepto]

Other search engines already get ad revenue.