Episode Overview

Podcast: AdTechGod Pod
Host: AdTechGod (ATG, The AdTech God)
Episode: Ep. 108 – Michael Berkowitz on the Evolution of Ad Tech, AI Hype, and Empowering Publishers
Date: November 19, 2025

In this episode, host AdTechGod sits down with seasoned ad tech veteran Michael Berkowitz to explore the evolution of the digital advertising landscape. Their wide-ranging conversation covers Michael’s unconventional journey into ad tech, the challenges facing publishers, skepticism around AI hype, and innovative ideas that could reshape user engagement and industry impact. Berkowitz brings a thoughtful, candid, and distinctly sell-side perspective throughout.

Guest Introduction and Career Journey

Michael’s Path Into Ad Tech (02:05–07:32)

• Michael began his career in media as an ABC News journalist, soon pivoting to PR (Edelman PR Worldwide) focusing on tech sector clients, including early involvement with the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau).
• He credits early experiences with major mergers and acquisitions (e.g., Max Logic acquired by Excite) for teaching him the business side of tech.
• Deep gratitude to Tony Katzer, who brought him into MediaMath, cementing his place in ad tech.
• Michael’s specialty became identifying, championing, and importing innovative overseas ad tech companies to the US market, especially technologies from Western and Northern Europe.
• He notes that “the gap between US ad tech and overseas ad tech… has now closed – and in many ways, Europe is doing it better.” (05:30)
• Since the pandemic, Michael observed a reduction in the unique value of these cross-continental bridges, but continues to find and introduce novel solutions to embattled US publishers.

Memorable Quote:
“Tony Katzer will be the guy to who I forever owe my career in ad tech to... Tony got recruited out of Panther Express to go work at MediaMath. He made good on his promise. He said he would come and fetch me. And he did.” (04:18)

What Makes Tech Solutions Stand Out? (07:34–10:03)

• Michael looks for genuinely novel products – “something that we haven’t seen before.” (07:56)
• Success means aligning with what publishers need and care about, not just personal excitement about the tech.
• Highlights risk-aversion among large publishers and the complexity of consensus due to numerous stakeholders.
• “If you’re talking about another... header bidding solution... these companies are going to gloss over and you’re not going to get any attention.” (08:39)
• Breaking in with something truly new is challenging; risk and internal politics slow adoption.

State of Publishing: Audience, Trust, and the Evolving Open Web (10:03–13:46)

• Publisher traffic is “under attack” from social networks and walled gardens.
• The challenge is not just traffic, but also trust and credibility—something publishers still own, despite traffic arriving indirectly.
• Michael relates the crisis in local news, referencing the PBS documentary “Stripped for Parts” about Alden Capital’s gutting of local newspapers.
• Stresses the importance of local news for communities and sees encouraging signs that publishers increasingly recognize the critical role they play.

Memorable Quote:
“The big problem they have... is people are now starting to really question where they’re getting their news from. ... At least when they arrive at the... website, they are getting credible news from credible sources.” (10:38)

AI in Ad Tech: Sizzle vs. Substance (13:46–20:17)

AI Hype and Market Dynamics

• Many ad tech companies have rushed to add “AI” to their pitches and products, often superficially.
• Michael is skeptical: “I’m not that pro, or to steal your term, bullish on AI... at the moment, it does more harm than good.” (14:27)
• Notes that true breakthrough applications are more evident in other fields (biotech, pharma) than in ad tech, where most use cases remain basic (e.g., AI-powered content recommendation).
• AI as a marketing buzzword far outpaces genuine, scalable benefits in ad tech today.
• Publishers and buyers are now too experienced to fall for empty AI claims: “Back in the day, you could sell... the three-wheeled car… Now... the buyers are way too sophisticated. They have been burned way too many times.” (17:51)

Notable Quotes:

• “You say like look, you know, as a marketer my job is to talk about things that the audience I’m targeting wants to hear… and that’s what they want to hear [about AI]. So don’t blame me.” (17:51)
• “The hyperbole is really what the problem is, not the AI.” (19:48)

Optimism for Publishers and Sell-Side Innovation (20:17–22:53)

• Michael professes deep loyalty to publishers (“the sell side”), seeing recent stabilizations and improvements.
• He’s heartened by falling social media consumption among younger users and the comeback stories of outlets like the Daily Beast.
• Asserts that the sell side is “the very core”—without it, “there is no buy side. Right. There’s nothing to buy on.” (21:55)

Memorable Quote:
“I am a dedicated, you know, fully bought into the sell side. I absolutely believe in the publishers. ... I do think things are finally starting to turn around and that we’re starting to see really important improvement.” (20:25, 22:11)

The Value (and Disadvantages) of Experience in a Young Industry (22:54–25:38)

• Michael discusses ageism and the undervaluation of experience in ad tech recruitment and leadership.
• Expresses concern that “experience” has become a negative in the job market—contrary to common sense:
  “You walk into a doctor’s office… one doctor has done the operation once, one doctor has done it 10,000 times. Which one... do you pick?... Now... think about that in the context of ad tech.” (23:11)
• Urges industry to see the value of veteran perspective, which can help avoid repeating past mistakes.

Ad Aid: Rethinking Ad Engagement with User Incentives (25:38–32:19)

• Ad Aid: Michael outlines his big idea—ads that directly incentivize user interaction by tying engagement (like clicking) to a charitable contribution or cause.
• Envisions a simple IAB-standard overlay button, requiring no change in creative, allowing users to select (and directly benefit) from a cause when they engage with an ad.
• Argues this model could “make the experience better for the end user” rather than more intrusive.
• Suggests brands and celebrity sponsors could allocate a fraction of ad budgets to social good, rather than purely to personal endorsement wealth.

Memorable Quotes:

• “Instead of making [ads] worse for the end user, why don’t you try to do something to make it better for them?... Let them gain something from that experience.” (25:38)
• “If they can participate in the process and derive a benefit... maybe somebody will actually click on an ad and care about the content of that ad.” (28:37)
• “If we could just get a tiny fraction of [celebrity ad money] allocated into different places... we presumably could fix or help a lot of things.” (31:44)

Closing Thoughts

• Michael hopes to stay in the industry as long as it will have him—reaffirming his passion for publishers and innovation.
• ATG expresses genuine enthusiasm for the Ad Aid idea and the possibility for listeners to help spark its realization.

Memorable Closing Exchange:

• (32:19) Michael: “We can hope. We can always hope.”
• (32:21) ATG: “Michael, I really appreciate you being on here. ... Looking forward to talking to you soon.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:05 – Michael’s journey from journalist to ad tech leadership
• 07:34 – What makes a product or company worth championing?
• 10:03 – Dissecting publisher woes and the future of open web traffic
• 13:46 – “AI Hype” in ad tech: skepticism and reality checks
• 20:17 – Optimism and opportunities for publishers
• 22:54 – Age, experience, and staying relevant in ad tech
• 25:38 – Introducing the Ad Aid concept
• 30:21 – Expanding Ad Aid: celebrity endorsements and social good

Notable Quotes Recap

• “The gap between US ad tech and overseas ad tech… has now closed – and in many ways, Europe is doing it better.” (05:30, Michael)
• “Back in the day, you could sell... the three-wheeled car… Now... the buyers are way too sophisticated.” (17:51, Michael)
• “I am a dedicated, you know, fully bought into the sell side.” (20:25, Michael)
• “Instead of making [ads] worse for the end user, why don’t you try to do something to make it better for them?” (25:38, Michael)

Tone and Takeaways

• Tone: Candid, passionate, reflective, and deeply immersed in the realities of ad tech and publishing.
• Key Insights:
  • Genuine innovation (not just buzz) still wins, especially when it solves real publisher pain points.
  • Ad tech is maturing—sophisticated buyers, skepticism about overhyped AI claims, and a shift toward sustainability on the sell side.
  • Experience and institutional memory have unique value, even if the industry sometimes forgets this.
  • Empowering users (and doing social good) might just be the next frontier for ad engagement.

For those deeply invested in the future of media, tech, and the open web, Michael Berkowitz offers a voice of experience, realism, and heartfelt optimism.