Google has made a self-contradictory admission about the future of the open web, a position it has long championed. In a court filing in the ongoing ad tech monopoly case with the US Department of Justice, the company admitted that “the open web is in rapid decline.” This statement contradicted months of Google executives’ assertions that the web is evolving.

Google acknowledges decline across web platforms

In this lawsuit, the company opposed the proposed split of its advertising business, arguing that a potential separation would accelerate the open web’s already ongoing decline. Google stated that publishers who rely on these ads would be negatively impacted.

The filing also noted that the advertising industry is shifting to new areas like artificial intelligence, connected TV, and retail media, eclipsing traditional advertising models on the open web. Google argued that the court should not intervene in an industry already undergoing transformation.

This admission confirms concerns repeatedly voiced by independent publishers and website owners. Changes to search algorithms and the proliferation of AI-based chatbots have led to traffic losses for many websites.

However, previously, senior executives like Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Search President Liz Reid claimed that they were sending billions of clicks daily to the web and that traffic volume remained “relatively stable” despite AI features.

This new statement in Google’s court filing reveals a difference between the company’s public portrayal and its statements in private conversations.