AppNexus, the world’s leading independent ad tech company, today announced the appointment of Gabriel Weintraub as Chief Economist. Currently a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, Weintraub specializes in the economics and optimization of marketplaces, particularly, auction markets. He enjoys a broad mandate to drive new efficiencies in AppNexus’ pricing structures and to formulate marketplace practices that strengthen the mutuality of interest between buyers and sellers on the company’s unified platform. He will report directly to Catherine Williams, AppNexus’ Chief Data Scientist.
“Gabriel’s appointment represents a milestone in our development as a technology platform,” said Brian O’Kelley, CEO of AppNexus. “All digital marketplaces – whether they sell hotel rooms and flights, securities, custom artwork, or advertising – need to think critically about how to improve auction design and pricing structure, and how to strengthen the mutuality of interest between buyers and sellers. Gabriel combines unparalleled academic expertise with a practitioner’s eye for execution.”
Weintraub earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Chile and an M.A. in economics and Ph.D. in management science and engineering from Stanford University. In addition to his role at AppNexus, he holds a tenured appointment at Stanford Graduate School of Business, where he teaches graduate courses in business analytics, game theory, and online markets.
“Just a few years ago, it seemed novel that technology companies were hiring professionals from outside the computer science field,” Williams added. “In ad tech, that often meant hiring mathematicians, social scientists or financial services professionals. Today, the most sophisticated digital platforms are powering complex marketplace transactions, and they require deep insight into the economics of pricing and auction design. In this respect, Gabriel’s appointment gives AppNexus an edge over its peers.”
“AppNexus has created one of the world’s most vibrant and liquid marketplaces for digital advertising,” said Weintraub. “All marketplace companies can benefit from having both economists and data scientists strategically designing their systems. We’ve seen it with Spotify, Zillow, Airbnb, and Uber, among others. Given my background in marketplaces and auction design, I’m particularly excited to work with AppNexus’ highly sophisticated programmatic platform.”