Blog
Opinion, commentary, interviews, year-in-review.
Lightning Talks: Ad Tech History, Software Architecture, PHP Dependency Management, and Auction Mechanics
A recent internal tech meetup brought together practitioners from across the AdTech and software development space for a series of lightning talks and longer presentations. The agenda covered ground from the origins of…
The Colorful History of Advertising Technology in Just 63 Slides
What was the click-through rate of the very first banner ad? 10%? 15%? 20%? Not even close. When that inaugural banner ad launched in 1994, it pulled a staggering 44% CTR. To put that in perspective, a click-through…
Why a Lack of Transparency Is Undermining Programmatic Buying
Online display advertising has been transformed over the past decade, and programmatic media buying sits at the centre of that transformation. The efficiency gains are real — automated decisioning, real-time…
6 Things a Dev Team Can Offer That a Technical Co-Founder Can't
Startups face no shortage of early challenges. Some are minor friction — resolved quickly without lasting damage. Others are consequential decisions that shape the trajectory of the entire company. One of the most…
Ad Agencies vs. AdTech Companies: How Agencies Can Win the Battle
In traditional advertising, agencies have long been indispensable. They've helped well-known brands build audiences, sharpen their targeting, and make the most of their marketing budgets — at every scale. Built on…
Why the Right Tech Partner Is Critical to MVP Success
When an entrepreneur with no culinary background decides to open a restaurant, how important is it to have a qualified chef running the kitchen? The answer is obvious: absolutely essential. The same logic applies to a…
5 Successful Startups That Began With an MVP
Looking at some of today's biggest tech companies, it can be hard to picture what they looked like in their earliest days. The software industry is unusual in that it doesn't always take much to build something with…
What Motivates Developers to Contribute to Open-Source Software?
It can be hard to imagine that many of the applications and programs in everyday use are built by hundreds of thousands — even millions — of people spread across the globe. Open-source software (OSS) is a rapidly…
10 App Design Trends for 2015
The ever-evolving technology market demands that design moves with it — or sometimes, ahead of it. The trends shaping 2015 are a mix of refined ideas carried over from previous years and genuinely new approaches worth…
The Best Time to Launch Your Startup Is Right Now
"The only difference between me and the next guys is that I just went out and did it." — Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb. You've got a compelling idea for a startup. You've been turning it over in your head for months,…
7 Ways Businesses Benefit From Open-Source Software
Examples of open-source software (OSS) being embraced at the enterprise level aren't hard to find. Whether a company runs Linux as its operating system, MySQL or PostgreSQL as its database, or Piwik for web analytics,…
Full-Service Development vs. Outsourcing: Why the Distinction Matters More Than You Think
In March of 1955, two ex-IBM employees — Elmer C. Kubie and John W. Sheldon — founded Computer Usage Company (CUC) with the intention of offering computer program-development services. They started with a staff of five…
AdTech Startups and Trends at The Europas
The Europas is a competition that showcases the most notable tech startups emerging from across Europe. Founded by Mike Butcher in 2009, it covers not just early-stage companies but also mid- and late-stage ventures,…
The Language of Tomorrow: Why Learning to Code Still Matters
Over the past two decades, the computer industry has transformed nearly every corner of modern life. Nowhere is that transformation more visible than in the internet itself. It has become an indispensable part of daily…
Why Fixed-Bid Contracts Don't Work in Software Development
After more than a decade working across IT projects — from freelance gigs and small builds to complex platform development — one pattern keeps showing up in troubled engagements: the fixed-bid contract. There are plenty…
Analytics and Ad Tech Nominees at The Europas: A Critical Look
The Europas shortlist for 2013 dropped recently, featuring 200 companies spread across 25 categories. Digging into the nominations with an eye on advertising technology, analytics, and big data reveals a mixed bag —…