The Trade Desk just got a reality check. For the first time in over eight years, the ad tech giant failed to hit its own revenue guidance, and Wall Street wasn’t feeling generous. Shares tanked 27% in after-hours trading, proving that even industry darlings don’t get a free pass forever.
A Rare Miss—But a Miss Nonetheless
Let’s be clear: The Trade Desk didn’t exactly fall off a cliff. Q4 revenue hit $741 million, a 22% year-over-year jump. The problem? The company promised at least $756 million. When you set the bar yourself, missing it’s not a great look.
Profit-wise, TTD actually doubled its net income to $182 million for the quarter. But none of that mattered once the headline “miss” hit the tape. Wall Street expected perfection. The Trade Desk delivered… something slightly less.
What Went Wrong?
CEO Jeff Green isn’t sugarcoating it. “We missed because we had a series of small execution missteps,” he admitted.
Those missteps? He’s not saying much, except that some were “people mistakes” that aren’t fit for public discussion. That sounds an awful lot like bad hiring, bad decisions, or just straight-up internal chaos. Either way, Green made it clear: this one’s on them.
In December, The Trade Desk quietly restructured, cutting staff and reshuffling leadership. The company also shifted its focus to working directly with brands while still keeping agencies in the mix through joint business plans (JBPs). That’s corporate-speak for “we need to fix our relationships and sell better.”
The Road to Recovery
So, what’s next? Green is promising a 15-point action plan—because apparently, 14 wasn’t enough—to get TTD back on track. The game plan includes:
- More direct-to-brand deals (because relying solely on agencies isn’t enough anymore).
- Doubling down on CTV and digital audio (the latter being “the most on-sale corner of the internet,” according to Green).
- Preparing for a post-Google world (since Green is convinced Google will eventually exit the open web, either by choice or by force).
Oh, and don’t forget Amazon—Green made sure to call them out for asking advertisers for their budgets while simultaneously competing with half the Fortune 500. Classic Amazon.
The Big Picture
This earnings miss is more than just a bad quarter—it’s a test. The Trade Desk has long been the golden child of ad tech, the independent DSP that could do no wrong. Now, it’s facing real scrutiny.
The good news? It’s still growing, still profitable, and still the best bet for ad buyers who don’t want to get swallowed by Google or Amazon. The bad news? In the world of ad tech, a stumble like this can turn into a landslide if not handled right.
Wall Street has spoken. Now it’s The Trade Desk’s turn to answer.
