"In the case of Google, the probe could stem from the DOJ's antitrust suit against Google over search. During the trial, it came out Google had a penchant for raising and lowering search rates as needed to meet quarterly benchmarks. In a bit of legal discovery , former Google ad leader Jerry Dischler offhandedly referred to the practice as "shaking the cushions." Now, the FTC is wondering how Google could turn those knobs up or down without advertisers realizing."
"Amazon, meanwhile, is facing fresh scrutiny while still managing the fallout from an earlier FTC antitrust suit, per Bloomberg's sources. During a former investigation, the commission said it had reason to believe Amazon had deliberately skewed search results to favor sponsored ads, effectively coercing sellers into buying ads. Disauthorized Speaking of Amazon, it appears to be rethinking its seller categories as it weighs sales against the ad revenue those sellers drive - and Walmart seems to be doing the same."
"In July, Walmart made a quiet but important change for the sellers of certain cosmetics and beauty brands. They were informed that, moving forward, Walmart will allow only authorized sellers. Two-thirds of Walmart's younger shoppers are beauty product buyers, and more than 70% of those earn more than $100,000 per year. Women under 40 and those earning $100,000 are "actually our fastest-growing cohorts," Shekhar said. That policy - for now, at least, only applies across European countries."
The DOJ's antitrust suit revealed that Google adjusted search rates to meet quarterly benchmarks, a practice former ad leader Jerry Dischler called 'shaking the cushions.' The FTC is investigating how Google could manipulate search rates without advertisers noticing. Amazon faces renewed scrutiny alongside lingering fallout from an earlier FTC antitrust case, with investigators concluding Amazon may have skewed search results to favor sponsored ads and pressure sellers to purchase advertising. Retailers are re-evaluating seller categorizations based on ad revenue, with Walmart restricting certain cosmetics brands to authorized sellers in Europe. Perplexity launched a small ad business but worked with a limited client set and reportedly had communication issues.
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