Giants Of Media is back with a bang. Undoubtedly the most successful recent AdTech story is StackAdapt - a growing (adding 500 employees this year) demand side platform. Everything they’re doing flies in the face of the LinkedIn experts - but why?
This episode was such a great chat I forgot we were recording a podcast - I’m very grateful for Vitaly (Co-Founder and CEO) giving up his time and sharing so much more than I expected. You’ll get so a lot from the episode, but below are my four highlights and big takeaway. Listen to the episode to hear much more and all the wonderful context.
1. The best framing of disruption I’ve heard in a while
Vitaly described competition as a race:
Can incumbents innovate fast enough before startups build distribution?
That’s it. That’s the game. Think about from a DSP perspective and you’ll get why StackAdapt are in growth.
2. Culture isn’t your six top down values
The StackAdapt view is simple:
Anyone can change culture.
Culture is shaped through action.
And the most insightful line for me was:
A value only matters if you’re willing to sacrifice something to uphold it.
3. Founder dynamic created no drama
Three founders. Equal equity. Equal salaries. Even though one joined a month later.
Thirteen years later — no falling out.
In a world where founders argue over single digit equity before product-market fit… StackAdapt were setting up for the long game.
4. Programmatic isn’t the point
Programmatic isn’t the mission. It’s just one lever to help businesses grow.
The outdated belief? Treating programmatic as a silo, a politics battle, or a tactical obsession.
Final thoughts - the big takeaway for me…
The episode barely focused on media or programmatic. It focused on people, intent, commitment, and building something durable. Which, for me, is probably why they’re winning and why I expect them to continue winning.
Hope you enjoy episode and thank you for supporting the podcast.
