I became convinced of this myself when I worked for a large digital publisher. Direct sold ads outperformed programmatic by a large margin and are easier to imp

I became convinced of this myself when I worked for a large digital publisher. Direct sold ads outperformed programmatic by a large margin and are easier to implement. All it takes is someone to make the deal. Therein lies the rub. If ad tech survives for long enough, the skills of making direct advertising deals will die with the profession.