Google retains third party cookies: Winners & Losers

On April 22, 2025, Google decided to retain third party cookies in Chrome, reversing its five-year Privacy Sandbox initiative. It creates winners and losers in adtech. Below, we look at who wins and who loses.

Winners of Google Retaining Third Party Cookies

Identity Providers and Open-Web Solutions: Winners When Google Retains Third-Party Cookies

Organizations specializing in cookieless identity and open-web targeting stand to gain:

The Trade Desk (Unified ID 2.0): With widespread adoption, Unified ID 2.0 offers a robust alternative for audience targeting. As CEO Jeff Green observed, “Unified ID 2.0 has reached a critical mass of adoption.”
LiveRamp (RampID privacy-safe ID solution): RampID’s privacy-safe ID solution empowers advertisers to match audiences without third party cookies. Ameet Shah, SVP of Publisher Operations at Prohaska Consulting, stated, “LiveRamp’s business remains solid, thanks to innovative data-matching collaborations.”
Yahoo and SSP Partners: Yahoo’s identity signals and platforms such as PubMatic, Magnite, and Index Exchange will benefit from enhanced data fidelity and contextual insights across the open web.

Open-Web Publishers Benefit When Google Retains Third-Party Cookies

Publishers such as Vox Media and Newsweek use first-party cookies for user data and ads. They can keep serving personalized ads and earning revenue.

Losers of Google Retaining Third Party Cookies

Privacy Sandbox Investors: Losers When Google Retains Third-Party Cookies

Firms that invested heavily in Google’s Privacy Sandbox initiative and its Sandbox APIs (Topics, FLEDGE, TURTLEDOVE) now face stranded assets and strategic pivots:

Criteo: Allocated over 100 employees to Sandbox testing, anticipating significant returns in 2024 before the reversal.
Audigent and NextRoll: Each invested millions in Sandbox projects and must redirect efforts toward alternative cookieless solutions.

Privacy Advocates and Consumers Losing Out When Google Retains Third-Party Cookies

Privacy focused organizations and end users lose momentum toward enhanced tracking controls. As Josh Walsh of BranchLab warns, “This reversal is a step back for privacy and equity,” delaying broader adoption of consent based alternatives in Chrome.

Looking Ahead After Google Retains Third Party Cookies

Although Chrome’s change keeps cookies for now and abandons the Privacy Sandbox initiative, new laws and customer privacy concerns will push the industry to innovate.