谷歌广告帝国扩张史：从并购到垄断的反垄断风暴
2024年，在持续不断的反垄断风暴下，谷歌在美国本土已经接受了多次反垄断审判。一次在8月份，美国联邦法官宣布谷歌搜索引擎业务属于垄断，这是美国政府在一系列针对大型科技公司的反垄断诉讼中的首次胜利。另外一起诉讼聚焦于谷歌的现金牛——广告业务。
In 2024, under the ongoing antitrust storm, Google has faced multiple antitrust trials in the United States. In August, a U.S. federal judge ruled that Google's search engine business constitutes a monopoly, marking the first victory for the U.S. government in a series of antitrust lawsuits against major tech companies. Another lawsuit focuses on Google's cash cow—its advertising business.
今年谷歌广告营收在三季度达到659亿美元，增长了10.6%。纵观谷歌广告业务的发展轨迹，监管机构和竞争对手对谷歌的垄断控诉一直不绝于耳。谷歌的广告帝国如何建立的，又是怎样形成所谓“垄断”的？
This year, Google's advertising revenue reached $65.9 billion in Q3, a 10.6% increase. Looking at the trajectory of Google's advertising business, accusations of monopoly from regulators and competitors have never ceased. How was Google's advertising empire built, and how did it form what is called a "monopoly"?
01 并购：完成惊险一跃 | 01 Mergers: Completing the Daring Leap
谷歌成立于1998年，在2000年的时候才推出Google AdWords。最初，谷歌是采用每千次展示费用 (CPM) 模式进行售卖，这是当时最主流的售卖模式。不过到了2002 年，谷歌推出更加注重实效的点击付费PPC（Pay per Click) 模式，第一次改变了数字广告市场的格局。
Google was founded in 1998 and launched Google AdWords in 2000. Initially, Google adopted the Cost Per Mille (CPM) model, which was the mainstream sales model at the time. However, in 2002, Google introduced the more performance-focused Pay Per Click (PPC) model, marking the first shift in the digital advertising market landscape.
2007年，命运的齿轮开始转动。谷歌以31亿美元收购 DoubleClick，该并购在2008年正式得到美国监管部门批准，成为当时数字广告史上最大规模并购。DoubleClick此前是广告技术服务领域的绝对老大，控制着60%的媒体广告服务器市场。
In 2007, the gears of fate began to turn. Google acquired DoubleClick for $3.1 billion, a merger officially approved by U.S. regulators in 2008, becoming the largest merger in digital advertising history at the time. DoubleClick was previously the undisputed leader in advertising technology services, controlling 60% of the media ad server market.
02 警告：第一张黄牌 | 02 Warning: The First Yellow Card
谷歌在广告市场的大扩张引起了欧盟的注意，并终于在2010年对谷歌的搜索和广告行为展开了调查——这项调查多年来愈演愈烈，是对谷歌广告占据市场主导地位的最早警告之一。
Google's massive expansion in the advertising market caught the attention of the European Union, which finally launched an investigation into Google's search and advertising practices in 2010—an investigation that intensified over the years, becoming one of the earliest warnings about Google's dominance in the advertising market.
03 威胁：Header Bidding的崛起 | 03 Threat: The Rise of Header Bidding
2015年，广告商找到了一种巧妙的方法来摆脱谷歌对广告收入的垄断：Header Bidding（标头竞价，也译作头部竞价）。在此之前，广告询价的过程是瀑布流模式。
In 2015, advertisers found a clever way to break free from Google's monopoly on ad revenue: Header Bidding. Before this, the ad inquiry process followed a waterfall model.
04 反击：三招制衡标头竞价 | 04 Counterattack: Three Moves to Counter Header Bidding
谷歌嗅到了威胁，决定着手反击。现在总结来看，它用了三招应对。
Google sensed the threat and decided to fight back. Looking back, it employed three strategies.
05 绝地之蓝：Facebook的倒戈 | 05 Jedi Blue: Facebook's Defection
好景不长，当盟军与谷歌广告的决战一触即发之际，戏剧性的转折发生了——「带头大哥」改变行进方向，将炮口缓缓转动，对准了盟军同伴。Facebook倒戈了！
The good times didn't last. Just as the decisive battle between the allies and Google's advertising business was about to begin, a dramatic twist occurred—the "leader" changed course, turning its guns toward its allies. Facebook defected!
06 隐私沙盒：下一个技术底牌？ | 06 Privacy Sandbox: The Next Technological Trump Card?
在反垄断调查持续进行的同时，隐私法规的利剑也悬在了科技巨头们的头顶。2018年5月25日，欧盟宣布实施《通用数据保护条例》（GDPR），这是一项全面的隐私和数据保护法规。
As antitrust investigations continued, the sword of privacy regulations also loomed over the heads of tech giants. On May 25, 2018, the European Union announced the implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a comprehensive privacy and data protection law.
07 谷歌的反驳：数字广告市场的边界是什么？ | 07 Google's Rebuttal: What Are the Boundaries of the Digital Advertising Market?
乔治华盛顿大学法学院教授巴拉克·里奇曼称，美国司法部对谷歌广告技术诉讼是一个“比谷歌搜索案更难、也许更重要的案件”。双方争论的其中一个焦点就是：谷歌所处的数字广告市场到底是什么？边界在哪里？
Barak Richman, a professor at George Washington University Law School, stated that the U.S. Department of Justice's lawsuit against Google's advertising technology is a "more difficult and perhaps more important case than the Google search case." One of the key points of contention is: What exactly is the digital advertising market in which Google operates? Where are its boundaries?
