Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

The Creator of the World's First Pop-Up Ad Apologizes for Everything The director of MIT's Center for Civic Media explains the trajectory of online advertising as we know it.

By Nina Zipkin

Pop-up ads are, at best, a nuisance or, at worst, delivery systems for corrupting viruses that have signaled many a hard drive's demise. In reflecting on the Internet's 25th anniversary, Ethan Zuckerman, the creator of the code behind the very first pop-up ad, wants to say that he's sorry.

Zuckerman, the director of MIT's Center for Civic Media penned an essay for The Atlantic on how advertising became the web's predominant business model, and what that means for internet users today, especially when it comes to privacy.

Related: OkCupid Founder: 'If You Use the Internet, You're the Subject of Hundreds of Experiments'

Zuckerman writes the idea for the pop-up ad came about while he was working for the web-hosting service Tripod.com in the mid-90s. "The model that got us acquired was analyzing users' personal homepages so we could better target ads to them. Along the way, we ended up creating one of the most hated tools in the advertiser's toolkit: the pop-up ad."

"It was a way to associate an ad with a user's page without putting it directly on the page, which advertisers worried would imply an association between their brand and the page's content. Specifically, we came up with it when a major car company freaked out that they'd bought a banner ad on a page that celebrated anal sex. I wrote the code to launch the window and run an ad in it. I'm sorry. Our intentions were good."

Related: How to Stop Google From Using Your Name and Face in Ads

Zuckerman argues that while an ad-supported Internet lowers financial barrier to entry, making it possible for platforms like Facebook and Twitter to build the sizable communities they have now, he sees the model as inherently broken. His suggestion is to move more widely towards a subscription model that would encourage people to pay to use the sites they love, while taking targeted data collection and surveillance out of the equation.

Tell us: Do you think Zuckerman is on the right track? How do you feel about online advertising?

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

You Have One Month Left to Buy a House, According to Barbara Corcoran. Here's Why.

"If you are planning on waiting a year and seeing where interest rates go, you are out of your mind," Corcoran said.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Franchise

The McRib Is Back, But Only at Select McDonald's — Here's Where to Find It

This scarcity is nothing new. In 2022, McDonald's announced a "Farewell Tour" for the McRib, suggesting that it might be the last time customers could get their hands on it.

Business Solutions

Cut Costs, Not Features with This Microsoft Bundle Deal

You get Office, Windows, Project, and Visio for $72.

Side Hustle

I Made $14,000 in 1 Week With a Spontaneous Halloween Costume Side Hustle — Here's How

Sabba Keynejad was in art school when he started to refine his entrepreneurial skills.