Google Insists the Open Web Is Not in Decline - Business Insider

Business Insider's Hugh Langley and Lara O'Reilly examine Google's controversial court filing that inadvertently revealed tensions about the health of the open web during ongoing antitrust litigation.

Google faced criticism after initially claiming in court documents that the "open web is already in rapid decline" while battling a Department of Justice lawsuit over its advertising technology business. The company quickly corrected the filing, clarifying it meant "open-web display advertising" was declining, not the entire open web ecosystem. This distinction matters as Google has previously maintained that the web remains healthy, even as publishers report declining traffic and ad revenue, particularly due to AI features that reduce clicks to external websites.

• Google filed a correction after mistakenly stating the "open web" was declining when it meant only display advertising markets
• Publishers are experiencing reduced traffic and revenue as Google's AI Overviews increase zero-click search rates from 60% to 80%
• The controversy occurred during Google's defense against DOJ antitrust charges over its advertising technology monopoly
• Industry experts suggest the distinction between open web health and advertising decline may be meaningless for ad-supported websites