👋 Hello, programmatic survivors!

You know the DSP market is overcrowded when even Microsoft is Marie Kondo-ing its ad stack.

In a move that surprised roughly zero people (but definitely rattled a few account managers), Microsoft has officially announced it’s shutting down Xandr Invest by February 2026.

That’s right… one of the more recognisable Demand Side Platforms is being booted off the stage in favour of a unified Microsoft Advertising Platform that promises to be more... well, Microsofty: AI-driven, privacy-compliant, and ruthlessly curated.

And let’s face it, Xandr Invest never quite shook off its "AT&T hangover." Despite decent bones, it always felt like the awkward cousin at the programmatic party — technically invited, but never quite dancing.

Microsoft wants to go all-in on AI-powered ad solutions, integrated across search, native, and programmatic — and who can blame them? Legacy DSPs require a degree in dark arts and a strong stomach for log-level data. By pivoting to a centralised, AI-curated ad platform, they’re cutting the fat and streamlining for the privacy-first era.

And while they’re at it, they’re also hoping to dodge the slow death many point-solution DSPs are facing as:

Xandr Invest’s closure isn’t an anomaly — it’s a warning shot. The era of standalone, everything-to-everyone DSPs is winding down.

If you're still manually toggling bids in outdated DSP UIs, it's time to ask yourself: Is this the hill I want my QBR to die on?

Agencies and advertisers should:

Because Microsoft isn’t the only one streamlining. Others will follow. And not all platforms will go gently into that good API call.

Let’s call it what it is — DSP Darwinism. The ones with scale, data, and clean rooms survive. The rest pivot to consultancies or become very quiet Slack channels.

Microsoft is betting big on AI, curation, and consent — and if you're not, you're probably spending the last of your budget explaining cookie depreciation to a CMO who thinks ChatGPT writes banner ads.

Until next time,
David