Schumacher went from the business of delivering ads to blocking them.
It’s been a few years since Tim Schumacher, co-founder of Sedo, left the company.
You might be surprised to learn that, after creating one of the world’s largest domain parking ad companies, he’s now backing software that blocks internet users from seeing ads.
Schumacher is an investor in the company behind Ad Block Plus, a browser plugin that blocks users from seeing most ads on a website.
Computer World just interviewed him about the company and how he got involved. Although I’ve known about his involvement for a while, I didn’t realize he discovered the technology while he was at Sedo:
In 2009, when looking through our tracking of the advertising Sedo places on domains, I noticed that ad blockers were blocking the delivery of ads. I looked into that and saw this developer, Wladimir Palant, who had the largest ad blocker out there, and to my good luck he was in Cologne, where I was.
Ad Block Plus has been criticized for charging large publishers that want to be part of its acceptable ads program, which whitelists certain sites’ “unobtrusive” ads. Joining this program is free for smaller publishers, but it limits ads they show to basically text ads or static ads without “attention-grabbing images.” Thus, Ad Block Plus deprives many small web publishers who make a living from ads from generating as much revenue as they otherwise would.
Maikel Mendez says
inglorious bastard
Tom says
He learned how the ads work, and now he wants to offer an alternative to allow choice to block them. It’s up the consumer to purchase either or.
lorsyr says
Turncoat. Build a site that essentially shuts down other sites due to loss of ad revenue. Block pop-ups, yes, because they are an irritant, but not harmless stable ads. This is akin to corporate greed, hurting the little guy in order to make money themselves.
jZ says
“acceptable ads program”… more like protection money.
Domains says
What a turd.
drake says
He left because domaining is dying
Xavier Lemay says
Parking is ded. Domaining is growing up.
I use abp on facebook! I was about to leave the site forever beacause fb is only about ads and marketing.