<p>The digital advertising industry is, in many ways, a bellwether of the American economy. It's a direct look at how and where companies are acquiring new customers, as well as how things are going in the business world.</p><p><strong>PubMatic</strong> (Nasdaq: PUBM) is one of the digital advertising industry's earliest trailblazers. Founded in 2006, its mission has always been to provide a platform for <strong>PUB</strong>lishers to auto<strong>MATIC</strong>ally monetize their websites, podcasts, and streaming TV channels with programmatic ads. In the future, that might expand to new formats like VR headsets or even self-driving cars. </p><p>7investing recently sat down with PubMatic founder &amp; CEO Rajeev Goel to discuss how he sees the digital ad industry evolving. </p><p>Here's a look at the topics we discussed:</p><p>1) <strong>Industry overview</strong> (0:00): Where does digital advertising stand in 2025?</p><p>2) <strong>Competitive advantage </strong>(4:45): What are PubMatic's structural sources of competitive advantage, especially compared to your peers?</p><p>3) <strong>The Next Big Thing</strong> (13:32) : Header bidding for CTV in 2020, then Connect in 2022, then Activate in 2023. What's your next major growth format?</p><p>4) <strong>Connected TV</strong> (18:26) : Streaming ads seem more interactive now. How is CTV evolving?</p><p>5) <strong>Supply Path Optimization</strong> (22:32) : SPO is still 55% of total activity yet DBRR fell during Q1. Have the large publishers now fully consolidated their inventory?</p><p>6) <strong>The Trade Desk</strong> (26:02): The Trade Desk continues to promote OpenPath and says it will disrupt the industry. How do you believe OpenPath will most likely impact PubMatic?</p><p>7) <strong>The Macro</strong> (33:24): Several forecasts are reducing expectations for ad budgets in 2025. What are you seeing on the near-term horizon?</p><p>8) <strong>Capital Allocation</strong> (37:46): Just announced a $100m buyback expansion. How are you prioritizing capital allocation to maximize shareholder value?</p><p><br /></p><p>Are you ready to begin investing in your future? Join 7investing today at<a href=" 7investing.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer"> 7investing.com/subscribe</a> and get your first 7 days absolutely free!</p>