The Sell-Side Strikes Back: Joe Root on AI, the Outcomes Era, and Rebuilding the Ad Stack from the Publisher Up

Signal Break: Agentic Trading Is Here

This week, the future of digital advertising arrived. Following Boostr and Vox Media’s landmark announcement of one of the industry’s first public agentic media buys using AdCP, Signal & Noise sits down for an exclusive conversation with Patrick O’Leary, Founder & CEO of Boostr, to unpack exactly what happened—and why it matters. For months, we’ve argued that agentic trading wasn’t a distant vision. It was already beginning. This announcement is one of the clearest signals yet that AI agents are moving beyond copilots and into autonomous negotiation, with buyer and seller agents working directly together to execute media transactions. This isn’t another AI hype discussion. Patrick walks us through the transaction in detail: how the agents negotiated, what humans still controlled, how long the process took, what the pilot revealed, and why this could fundamentally reshape the economics of digital advertising. We also tackle the bigger questions: * Does agentic trading replace programmatic or evolve alongside it? * What happens to DSPs, SSPs, and today’s ad tech ecosystem? * How do identity, fraud prevention, brand safety, and measurement work in an agent-driven world? * Which companies stand to benefit—and which business models are suddenly at risk? At Signal & Noise, we don’t do hot takes. We bring together the people who are actually building the future and give them the time to explain what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and what it means for the rest of the industry. If you’ve been wondering whether agentic trading is real, this is the conversation you’ve been waiting for. Guest: Patrick O’Leary, Founder & CEO, Boostr If you enjoy conversations that go beyond the headlines, subscribe to Signal & Noise on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or visit SignalAndNoise.ai [http://SignalAndNoise.ai] for more executive interviews, analysis, and original research.

Can We Still Trust Attribution? Brian Quinn on AppsFlyer, Privacy, and Measurement

Attribution was supposed to get easier. Instead, marketers today operate in a world of disappearing identifiers, privacy restrictions, walled gardens that increasingly measure themselves, and consumer journeys that unfold inside environments few advertisers can fully observe. So how much confidence should we still have in the numbers? In this episode of Signal & Noise, Brett House and Rio Longacre sit down with Brian Quinn, President & GM of AppsFlyer, one of the most influential—but often least understood—companies in digital advertising. For more than a decade, AppsFlyer has been at the center of mobile measurement, helping brands understand where users come from, which campaigns actually drive installs and engagement, and how to measure effectiveness in an ecosystem transformed by Apple’s ATT framework, signal loss, and evolving privacy regulations. Together, we unpack one of the industry’s most important questions: Can attribution still be trusted? The conversation explores why mobile remains the dominant yet underappreciated consumer environment, whether multi-touch attribution still has a future, and why marketers are increasingly turning toward incrementality, clean rooms, and econometric approaches to understand what really drives business outcomes. We also discuss: • Why AppsFlyer became much more than an attribution company• Whether the walled gardens are effectively grading their own homework• The lasting impact of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency changes• Why fraud remains a massive hidden tax on digital advertising• The growing role of clean rooms and independent measurement• Whether privacy has made advertising measurement better—or simply more uncertain• How AI may reshape attribution and optimization over the next five years• What a modern measurement strategy should look like in a world where signal loss may be permanent Apps account for nearly 90% of mobile time, consumers spend hours each day inside apps, and marketers collectively spend more than $150 billion annually on mobile advertising. Yet many advertisers still struggle to explain how mobile attribution actually works—or what replaces it when deterministic signals disappear. Brian offers a candid and practical perspective on where measurement is heading next, what marketers misunderstand about attribution, and what parts of today’s measurement stack may disappear entirely. If you’ve ever wondered whether the industry’s most trusted metrics deserve your trust—or what comes after attribution—this episode is for you. #SignalAndNoise #AppsFlyer #Attribution #Measurement #Privacy #AdTech #MarTech #MobileMarketing #CleanRooms #MTA #Incrementality #DigitalAdvertising

The Anti-Tech Era? Al Regulation, Data Centers & America's Growing Governance Clash

Colorado has become ground zero in one of the most important debates shaping the future of technology: how do we regulate AI without slowing innovation? In this episode of Signal & Noise, Brett House and Rio Longacre sit down with Srinivas "Chinnu" Parinandi, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, to unpack the growing clash between government oversight, technological progress, and economic competitiveness. The conversation begins with Colorado's controversial AI legislation and expands into a broader discussion about privacy regulation, federalism, interstate commerce, and the unintended consequences of state-by-state technology governance. Chinnu explains why populism on both the political left and right is driving increased scrutiny of technology companies, how fragmented regulation affects startups versus large incumbents, and why policymakers often struggle to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies.  The discussion also explores the influence of GDPR and other privacy frameworks, whether regulatory uncertainty is becoming a barrier to entrepreneurship, and how businesses can engage more constructively with policymakers rather than simply opposing regulation. Chinnu offers a nuanced perspective on whether America needs a national AI framework and why the answer may be more complicated than many in the tech industry assume.  In the second half of the episode, the conversation turns to one of the most overlooked aspects of the AI boom: data centers. As AI workloads drive unprecedented demand for computing power, local opposition to data center projects is growing across the country. Chinnu explains the politics behind energy consumption, power generation, utility regulation, zoning battles, and the increasing tension between infrastructure development and community concerns.  The episode closes with a discussion of whether America is entering an "anti-tech era," what role government should play in shaping emerging technologies, and whether the United States can strike the right balance between consumer protection and innovation in the age of AI.  * Colorado's AI laws and privacy regulations * SB26-134 and SB26-189 * GDPR, CCPA, and state-level privacy frameworks * AI regulation and interstate commerce * Federal vs. state governance * Populism and technology policy * Startup innovation and regulatory burden * Data centers, energy, and infrastructure * NIMBYism and local opposition movements * America's AI competitiveness versus China * The future of AI governance Srinivas Parinandi is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado Boulder whose research focuses on political economy, American political institutions, public policy, technology governance, and the interaction between government regulation and business innovation. His work examines how political incentives and institutional structures shape economic outcomes and emerging technology markets. #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Privacy #GDPR #CCPA #Colorado #DataCenters #TechnologyPolicy #Regulation #PoliticalEconomy #SignalAndNoise #AdTech #Innovation #TechPolicy #AIRegulation

Justin Kramm: Finding Your Tribe by Finding Your Authentic Voice

What happens when you stop trying to sound "professional" and start sounding like yourself? In this Signal & Noise conversation, Executive Voice Krish Raja hosts his first solo episode with Justin Kramm, Founder & Creative Director of Shit Show Creative. The result is one of our funniest—and most surprisingly insightful—conversations to date. Justin has spent more than two decades shaping creative work for brands including Nike, Red Bull, NVIDIA, Xbox, Uber, ESPN, and many others. More recently, he's built an enormous following on LinkedIn by doing something refreshingly different: embracing absurdity, authenticity, and humor to build a genuine community. Together, Krish and Justin explore: * Why authenticity attracts the right people—and the right opportunities * How humor cuts through noise, tribalism, and corporate clichés * Building a creative business that started as a joke and became something real * What Cannes Lions reveals about creators, AI, and the future of marketing * Why LinkedIn may be becoming the internet's most unexpectedly entertaining platform * How AI should amplify creativity rather than replace it * Why finding your authentic voice is ultimately how you find your tribe Recorded while Krish was attending Cannes Lions and Justin joined remotely from Florida in the middle of the night, this episode blends sharp observations about the advertising industry with an honest conversation about creativity, community, and having the courage to be yourself. It's funny. It's thoughtful. And it's a reminder that sometimes the best professional strategy is simply being authentically human.

Cannes Lions 2026 | Day 4 With Rio Longacre, Krish Raja & Brett House

Day 4 marks the final chapter of Signal & Noise’s first Cannes Lions together as a team—and what a way to close out an unforgettable week. Across four days at Hearst House, we recorded conversations with some of the brightest minds in advertising, media, identity, AI, cybersecurity, consulting, and marketing transformation. Cannes 2026 felt bigger, busier, and more energized than ever, with AI moving from theory to implementation and nearly every discussion centered on what happens when intelligent systems begin participating directly in media, commerce, and customer experiences. In this Day 4 compilation, Rio Longacre, Brett House, and Krish Raja sit down with an exceptional group of founders, CEOs, technologists, and industry operators to unpack the trends shaping the next decade of marketing. Featured guests include: • Michael Beebe, CEO of Dstillery, joined by David Bell, for a candid discussion on transparency, principal media, agency business models, ad tech taxes, and whether AI will finally expose which vendors are truly creating value. • Guy Tytunovich, Founder & CEO of CHEQ, on fighting ad fraud in an era of AI agents, malicious bots, and non-human traffic—and why marketers may need entirely new approaches to identity and trust online. • Mansoor Basha, CTO of Stagwell Marketing Cloud, on composable marketing systems, data infrastructure, and the evolving role of AI inside enterprise decision-making. • Alina Vandenberghe, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Chili Piper, discussing growth, customer experience, and how AI is reshaping B2B engagement. • Justin Bell, Global CEO of Credera, sharing his perspective on transformation, enterprise AI adoption, and why consulting firms are increasingly helping clients rethink operating models—not just technology stacks. • Rob McLaughlin returns to Signal & Noise for a wide-ranging conversation touching on curation, supply-side innovation, containerization, publisher monetization, and why Cannes remains the industry’s most valuable gathering. And to close out the week, Lou Paskalis delivers one of our favorite observations from Cannes: “The only thing worse than having to come to Cannes is not getting to go to Cannes.” From fraud detection and AI agents to transparency, identity, curation, and the future of marketing as an enterprise operating system, Day 4 captures the optimism, curiosity, and collaborative spirit that made Cannes Lions 2026 one of the most exciting events we’ve attended. Thank you to everyone who joined us at Hearst House, stopped by the studio, shared ideas, challenged assumptions, and helped make this such a memorable week. This is the final Cannes Lions 2026 compilation episode from Signal & Noise—but the conversations are only getting started. 🎧 Available now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 📺 Individual interviews from Cannes Lions 2026 will continue to roll out on YouTube in the coming weeks. #CannesLions #AI #AdTech #MarTech #Identity #Cybersecurity #AgenticAI #SignalAndNoise #HearstHouse #Advertising #MarketingInnovation