Directory · Companies The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) is the largest independent demand-side platform (DSP) for programmatic advertising. Co-founded by Jeff Green and Dave Pickles in 2009 and taken public in 2016, TTD runs billions of ad decisions daily across CTV, digital audio, and display via its AI-powered Kokai platform — without owning any media inventory.
Key facts The Trade Desk is an independent DSP — it does not own media inventory, eliminating the conflict-of-interest that arises when a platform sells both ad demand and ad supply. — The Trade Desk Co-founded in 2009 by Jeff Green and Dave Pickles, both former Microsoft employees; taken public on Nasdaq under ticker TTD in September 2016. — Wikipedia Kokai, launched June 2023, is The Trade Desk's AI-native media-buying platform. Campaigns running through Kokai have delivered on average 43% lower cost per unique reach versus the prior platform. — The Trade Desk press room Unified ID 2.0 (UID2) is The Trade Desk's open-source cookie-replacement identity standard, now stewarded by Prebid.org, and adopted broadly across the open internet. — The Trade Desk OpenPath gives advertisers direct, transparent access to premium publisher inventory, bypassing intermediary SSP layers and reducing supply-chain complexity. — The Trade Desk Ventura Ecosystem, announced February 2026, is an open collaboration bringing TV operating systems and streaming platforms together under The Trade Desk's monetization toolset, with V (VIDAA) and Nexxen as initial partners. — The Trade Desk investor relations Alex Kayyal was appointed CFO effective August 21, 2025, succeeding Laura Schenkein. Kayyal previously led Salesforce Ventures and was a Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. — The Trade Desk investor relations Recent coverage 10 stories advertising adtech Omnicom Says It's Cutting Out the Ad-Tech Middlemen. The Holdco-Direct Era Just Went Live. May 4, 2026 measurement data Cognition Is the New Currency Layer for CTV Ads May 3, 2026 measurement data Streaming Hit 45.6 Percent of Ad-Supported TV. The Verification Stack Is Catching Up. May 3, 2026 advertising adtech Machine Cognition Hits Programmatic Ads: 30 Autonomous Campaigns Live on PubMatic May 3, 2026 advertising adtech PubMatic's AgenticOS Hits 1,000 Deals as Creative Suite Goes Live May 3, 2026 platforms Roku Just Became the Only TV-OS Company Showing Its Ad Math May 3, 2026 devices distribution V Set to Overtake LG webOS in Europe, Omdia Forecasts April 27, 2026 devices distribution V Set to Overtake LG webOS in Europe, Omdia Forecasts April 27, 2026 opinion 'Independent' Has Stopped Meaning Anything Buyers Can Audit April 27, 2026 opinion 'Independent' Has Stopped Meaning Anything Buyers Can Audit April 27, 2026