WaPo’s Woes; TTD’s C-Suite Turnover
Recorded: Jan. 27, 2026, 7 a.m.
| Original | Summarized |
WaPo’s Woes; TTD’s C-Suite Turnover | AdExchanger
image/svg+xml:
Topics Opinion About Us Events Podcasts NEW! Programmatic AI 2026 Become an AdHero Subscribe Sign In
Sign In Topics
Home Daily News Roundup WaPo’s Woes; TTD’s C-Suite Turnover
Daily News Roundup Tuesday, January 27th, 2026 – 12:01 am
WaPo infamously lost a quarter million digital subscribers, or 10% of its subscriber base, after Bezos spiked the paper’s planned endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 US presidential election. As of June, its paid print circulation was just 97,000. On top of that, Johanna Mayer-Jones, WaPo’s ad chief, was reportedly eyeing an exit back in October – although she’s still currently with the company.
Next In Daily News Roundup TikTok US (Finally) Emerges; Forbes, For Bettor Or Worse
Related Stories Daily News Roundup Must Read Publishers Most publishers have no idea that a major part of their video ad delivery will stop working on April 30, shortly after Microsoft shuts down the Xandr DSP. PODCAST: The Big Story Ads were going to be a “last resort” for ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promised two years ago. Now, they’re finally here. Omnicom Digital CEO Jonathan Nelson joins the AdExchanger editorial team to talk through what comes next. Commerce This Wednesday marks the beginning of Hershey’s first major brand marketing campaign since 2018 Programmatic Amazon looks to support a more collaborative programmatic ecosystem now that the APS Prebid adapter is available for open beta testing. Publishers Gamera, a media quality measurement startup for publishers, announced on Tuesday it raised $1.6 million to promote its service that combines data about a site’s ad experience with data about how its ads perform. AI Ad industry experts call out trends to watch in 2026 and separate the real AI use cases having an impact today from the AI hype they heard at CES.
Popular Publishers Most publishers have no idea that a major part of their video ad delivery will stop working on April 30, shortly after Microsoft shuts down the Xandr DSP. CTV Despite deepening consumer distrust of AI content, marketers and streamers are embracing AI-powered products. Now, generative AI is complicating the already rather bloody streaming wars. OPINION: Data-Driven Thinking Advertising’s “agentic” future is a compelling vision, but one that relies on capabilities that do not exist yet. AdCP may one day make buying easier, but it will not make buying better by itself. PODCAST: The Big Story Ads were going to be a “last resort” for ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promised two years ago. Now, they’re finally here. Omnicom Digital CEO Jonathan Nelson joins the AdExchanger editorial team to talk through what comes next. CTV YouTube is finally delivering on the promise of shoppable CTV ads. Starting Thursday, they’ll roll out to all of Google’s Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns, YouTube confirmed to AdExchanger.
Join the AdExchanger Community Your trusted source for in-depth programmatic news, views, education and events. NEXT EVENT
ABOUT ADEXCHANGER CONNECT
© 2026 Access Intelligence, LLC - All Rights Reserved |
The Washington Post’s (WaPo) struggles in the advertising and subscription markets are significantly impacting the publication’s long-term health, a situation exacerbated by a series of leadership changes and strategic missteps. As of January 2026, the newspaper faces a projected 100 newsroom layoffs, representing roughly 10% of its workforce, with potential overall cuts of 300 positions. This restructuring primarily targets the sports, metro, and foreign news teams, adding to the already concerning figures of 97,000 paid print subscribers – a number dramatically reduced from previous levels – and a quarter-million lost digital subscribers, stemming largely from the fallout of a failed endorsement of Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Furthermore, the decision to prioritize newsroom staff reductions within the sports division demonstrates a calculated attempt to shift focus towards advertising revenue, aligning with the strategy of doubling down on sports coverage as a more advertiser-friendly offering compared to traditional hard news. This strategic move reflects the broader trend amongst news organizations seeking more lucrative revenue streams. However, the immediate impact on WaPo’s core news operations remains a significant concern. Adding to the instability is a concerning level of leadership turnover at The Trade Desk (TTD), a prominent programmatic advertising technology company. In rapid succession, Jud Spencer, the Programmatic Vets director, followed by CRO Jed Dederick, and then COO Vivek Kundra, left the company. Notably, the CTO role has remained unfilled since Dave Pickles' departure in 2023, and CFO Alex Kayyal, just six months into his role, has also stepped down. This pattern of executive exits is compounding anxieties within the organization and impacting investor confidence. Wells Fargo analysts have flagged this turnover as a “continued fundamental and narrative volatility,” further highlighting the instability within TTD. The situation is exacerbated by the overall market narrative surrounding the company, demonstrating how a breakdown in leadership can significantly affect investor sentiment. Adding to the complexity is the burgeoning advertising landscape surrounding emerging technologies such as ChatGPT. OpenAI has set a baseline CPM of approximately $60 for its ads, rivalling the rates of top-tier inventory like placements within the Las Vegas Sphere or during NFL games. While this initial premium is likely to attract some early adopters, the absence of attribution or a pixel network raises concerns about measuring ROI, and the initial reaction from advertisers is cautious. The comparison to Netflix’s initial $60 CPM, which has long been rationalized down to $30 or less, suggests that the market may ultimately determine the long-term viability of ChatGPT's advertising model. Finally, the report details broader trends impacting the digital advertising sector, including Microsoft’s upcoming shutdown of its Prebid video caching, which will dramatically impact publishers reliant on this service, and the escalating debates surrounding "agentic" advertising and the challenges in achieving truly standardized, data-driven workflows. The overall picture at WaPo is one of significant risk, heavily influenced by external forces and underscored by internal instability. |