> I worked in ad-tech for years, ultimately the convincing data is that people actually do click on ads. They do buy the products, and they do this more often t

> I worked in ad-tech for years, ultimately the convincing data is that people actually do click on ads. They do buy the products, and they do this more often than they would have had we not shown the ads at all (for some market segments). This says nothing about whether ads are useful or beneficial to people. Buying a product does not mean the product was not a net loss for the customer, with the classic example being cigarettes.