Google's Advertising Monopoly
b'Advertising has become a big business for Big Tech\\u2014and it keeps getting bigger. Google now controls a whopping 91 percent of the search advertising market.\\nThe tech giant\\u2019s monopoly means it\\u2019s almost impossible for businesses not to advertise with Google. That\\u2019s especially true if you\\u2019re a company that exists entirely online, like the ride-sharing app Lyft, or mattress brand Tuft & Needle. Lyft, for example, spent 92 million dollars on ads placed with Google last year. As a recent article in Bloomberg notes, that\\u2019s about 10 percent of Lyft\\u2019s 2018 net loss.\\nAnd if a business decides not to advertise on Google, a competing brand might\\xa0buy its keywords and\\xa0place\\xa0an ad\\xa0against them. It\\u2019s an advertising Catch-22.\\nThis week on Money Talking, Ilya Marritz speaks with Jake Swearingen, a contributor for New York Magazine\\u2019s Intelligencer, about how Google came to dominate search advertising\\u2014and what it means for businesses and consumers alike.'