Amazon is wreaking havoc on the ad market, and The Trade Desk may be its latest victim

Core Viewpoint - The Trade Desk's shares fell nearly 40%, attributed mainly to competition from Amazon despite beating earnings expectations [1][4]. Company Analysis - The Trade Desk's CEO, Jeff Green, emphasized the company's role as a neutral advertising seller, contrasting it with Amazon's dual role as both an ad seller and a content provider [2][3]. - Analysts expressed skepticism regarding Green's optimistic view, highlighting the competitive landscape in connected TV advertising, particularly with Amazon's rapid growth in this sector [3][4]. - The Trade Desk's growth potential is constrained by its reliance on accessing ad inventory from other platforms like Netflix [4]. Industry Context - Amazon's advertising business is rapidly expanding, with significant growth in the TV ad market, making it a formidable competitor [6][12]. - Amazon's Prime Video is projected to dominate the advertising market on US-based smart TVs by 2027, surpassing YouTube [12]. - Concerns are rising about the overall growth of the connected TV advertising market, with indications of a deceleration in growth and increased competition from major players like Amazon and Google [13][14].