Hey FTC! Clear The Google/AdMob Deal Already!
April 28th, 2010
AdMob is (was?) the leader in mobile advertising, and Google is the leader in online advertising, with a search marketshare that looks a lot like a monopoly. So when Google tried to acquire AdMob for $750 million the FTC decided to put the deal under review and maybe block it, which seems reasonable enough given Google’s size.
The problem is that, since then, Apple acquired Quattro Wireless, the number 2 in the space, and from that basis, built iAd, an ad product that looks set to own advertising on the iPhone (which itself has the lion’s share of mobile advertising overall).