The Stack: A Big Week for Google

This week, Google dominated headlines with bold moves across content, advertising, and AI, while lawmakers and regulators intensified their efforts in the industry. In today’s MadTech Daily, we cover Tripledot’s acquisition of AppLovin’s mobile gaming unit, Apple’s AI search shaking up Google’s dominance, and Digiday+ Research showing the priority of publishers.

Google took a cinematic leap with the launch of a new entertainment venture called 100 Zeros, a multi-year production initiative in partnership with Range Media Partners. 

On the ad tech front, Google rolled out key updates to its AI-driven Performance Max campaigns, including enhanced reporting at the channel level and better Search insights. 

But not all news was celebratory. The US Department of Justice took aim at Google’s advertising empire, arguing that Alphabet must divest parts of its ad tech stack to restore competition. 

Meanwhile, Apple and Google could face new competition rules under the proposed App Store Freedom Act in the US House of Representatives. The bill seeks to mandate support for third-party app stores on iOS and Android devices, aimed at promoting competition and reducing platform gatekeeping in mobile ecosystems.

Regulators in Europe are also tightening the screws. The European Commission announced legal proceedings against five member states; the Czech Republic, Spain, Cyprus, Poland, and Portugal for failing to meet key requirements of the Digital Services Act.