The Trade Desk is a leading independent technology company focused on programmatic advertising. Its cloud-based demand-side platform enables advertisers and agencies to plan, activate, and optimize digital media campaigns across the open internet, including connected TV (CTV), online video, display, audio, native, mobile, and digital out-of-home. By separating media buying technology from media ownership, The Trade Desk positions itself as a neutral, buy-side-only partner that emphasizes transparency, control, and data-driven decisioning for marketers.
Founded in 2009 by Jeff Green and Dave Pickles and headquartered in Ventura, California, The Trade Desk has grown into one of the most prominent ad tech companies in the world. The company went public on NASDAQ in 2016 under the ticker TTD and has since expanded to thousands of employees across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Its platform processes millions of ad impressions every second, leveraging massive datasets and machine learning to help clients optimize toward business outcomes such as reach, conversions, and return on ad spend.
Product-wise, The Trade Desk offers advanced capabilities for omnichannel campaign management, audience targeting, identity resolution, and measurement. Its identity solutions (including Unified ID 2.0), AI engine (Koa) and next-generation interface (Kokai), as well as offerings like OpenPath and growing retail media and CTV partnerships, are designed to give advertisers granular control over where and how they buy media while improving performance and transparency versus walled gardens. A rich marketplace of third‑party data, measurement, and inventory partners sits on top of the core platform, enabling sophisticated use of shopper data, offline conversions, and brand safety tools.
The Trade Desk is widely regarded as the largest independent DSP and a key counterweight to vertically integrated platforms like Google and Amazon. Its strategy centers on championing the open internet, helping premium publishers monetize content while giving advertisers better tools to reach consumers in privacy-conscious, data-driven ways. With strong retention among major brands and agencies and continued investment in AI, identity, and retail media, The Trade Desk occupies a leadership position in the advertising technology landscape.
