From Data Chaos to Clarity: Redefining Publisher Intelligence

In this episode of Web Without Walls, Shay Brog joins Vijay Kumar to unpack how publishers can regain control in an increasingly complex Ad Tech ecosystem.

He explains why programmatic, by design, commodifies inventory, how curation only adds value when it surfaces true differentiation, and why publishers must move beyond surface-level metrics toward predictive and prescriptive analytics.

Shay also breaks down the growing impact of retail media networks, the uneven pain of the so-called “AI Armageddon,” and why he’s optimistic that the industry will find balance again. For anyone navigating the data and yield challenges of today’s open web, this conversation offers a grounded, forward-looking view of what’s next for publishers.

Shay Brog is the CEO of Burt Intelligence, a company helping publishers turn fragmented programmatic data into actionable insights. With more than a decade in Ad Tech across roles in sales engineering, revenue, and leadership at companies like GumGum, Insticator, and iView, Shay brings a rare perspective at the intersection of data, monetization, and publisher strategy.

He’s led Burt through a major evolution from reporting and discrepancy management to predictive forecasting and sales intelligence, helping publishers move from data overwhelm to decision intelligence.

Vijay Kumar is the Founder and CEO of Mile, where he has spent over a decade helping publishers navigate modern Ad Tech. His work spans pricing strategy, yield optimization, and infrastructure decisions, always focused on giving publishers more clarity and control.

As host of Web Without Walls, Vijay brings real-world experience and thoughtful curiosity to every conversation. He asks the questions publishers care about, challenges assumptions when needed, and creates space for honest, practical industry dialogue.

• "The market will evolve and if sell-side decisioning and curation is going to stay, will be more controls available at the publishers."
• “Yeah, it is. Feel like with the identifiers going away, it seems like again, better walled garden. I don't know if you call them walled garden, but a better garden with some sort of deterministic IDs available.”