Episode 174: Auren Hoffman Wants to Make LiveRamp Great Again

Auren Hoffman, founder of LiveRamp, joins Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi to discuss Publicis’ acquisition of LiveRamp, the company’s biggest missed opportunities, and why connectivity is becoming even more important in the AI era.  They also dive into Google I/O, AI-powered search, publisher challenges, product-led companies, and how AI is changing the way operators work.  Takeaways  LiveRamp’s biggest strength is still its network and connectivity.  Auren believes better product execution could unlock much larger growth.  AI agents will increase the need for fast data movement across platforms.  Product-focused leadership continues to define successful ad tech companies.  Google’s AI-first search experience is reshaping web traffic and publishing.  AI tools are rapidly changing how executives and teams operate.  Chapters  00:00 Publicis acquires LiveRamp  01:14 Auren’s perspective on LiveRamp’s evolution  02:17 The biggest product opportunities ahead  05:35 Middleware, clean rooms, and connectivity  07:20 Pricing and growth challenges  09:13 Why AI changes the value of data infrastructure  12:03 What Publicis could improve  15:37 Product leadership in ad tech  19:45 Trade Desk, UID2, and the competitive landscape  21:13 Google I/O and AI-powered search  26:27 Why AI is changing how operators work  29:28 The changing economics of publishing  34:21 Vox, podcasts, and creator-led media  36:32 Amazon affiliate cuts and publisher impact Guests: Ari Paparo, Eric Franchi, Auren Hoffman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices