Digital
Google Chrome starts blocking data tracking cookies
Mumbai: This is largely in line. Alphabet wanted to implement privacy measures and go completely cookie less in the next six months in June/July in a phased manner which they mentioned in their last two earning calls. Advertisers are likely to face challenges, especially in terms of conversions, as many third-party programmatic platforms heavily depend on cookies for data. Furthermore, programmatic platforms may seek to mitigate the impact by considering price hikes for their services. These shifts underscore the evolving landscape of digital advertising, posing challenges for advertisers and reshaping industry dynamics.
This move will have a threefold impact. 1) The restriction imposed on platforms for third-party data usage for advertising is expected to lead to a substantial increase in data costs. 2) The shift towards a cookie-less environment and the limited availability of third-party data for advertising is likely to drive a significant surge in e-commerce advertising spends. Advertisers are expected to increasingly favour e-commerce platforms due to their access to valuable first-party data, providing a substantial boost to advertising investments in the e-commerce sector. 3) Platforms/ad tech companies may also try to raise the prices from the advertisers to recover the high data costs.
The transition towards a cookie-less environment and potential privacy measures, especially considering the dominance of Android in the global smartphone ecosystem and Apple’s prevalence mainly in emerging nations, is expected to be a disruptive force. While Apple holds less than 10 per cent market share in emerging markets like India, the move is anticipated to reshape the landscape of digital advertising, influencing privacy standards and impacting conversion dynamics. The move is very much in line with our expectation and marks a significant change in the digital advertising landscape.
The credit of this article is attributed to Elara Capital SVP Karan Taurani.
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
