I think a lot of publishers preferred short term gains over a long term position... For some it was a conscious decision (as a strategy, or out of need), others

I think a lot of publishers preferred short term gains over a long term position... For some it was a conscious decision (as a strategy, or out of need), others thought of it as an easy cash grab. Google, Facebook, they all gave credits/financed publishers to give them a perception of more reach, but the end result was the dilution of publisher brands and gradually lost their leverage. Maybe Google, Facebook and Amazon were always going to be unstoppable forces in the market... but maybe, just maybe, if publishers stood their ground we would have a different narrative. Probably the cost would be too big, and many would fall... Who knows. I guess it was just too easy and too good, free money, a way to convert inventory automatically without the need for sales teams and the pressure to have it maximized.