The CEO of Billions Network says big tech companies are genuinely rattled by the rise of AI agents—software that could bypass the advertising model Google and Facebook depend on. Evin McMullen told GFdaily that the platforms built on selling user attention see the technology as an existential threat.
A threat to the ad-driven model
AI agents can perform tasks like booking flights, comparing prices, or answering questions without ever loading a page full of ads. That cuts out the revenue streams that have made Google and Facebook dominant for two decades. McMullen described the mood inside those companies as ‘terrified.’
He's not alone in that assessment. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has previously pointed to AI agents as a potential disruptor of the same business models. Cloudflare Chief Strategy Officer Stephanie Cohen has made similar observations, noting that the shift could fundamentally alter how online services are monetized.
Why advertising revenue matters
Google and Facebook parent Meta each generate the vast majority of their income from digital advertising. If AI agents start handling queries and transactions directly, the clicks and impressions that feed those ad systems could evaporate. No one has publicly forecast exactly how fast that would happen, but the executives quoted here agree the pressure is mounting.
What AI agents can do that search can't
Traditional search engines serve up links and ads interspersed with results. An AI agent, by contrast, can act on a user's behalf—finding the best deal on a flight, scheduling a meeting, or summarizing a document—and present only the final answer. There's no browsing, no scrolling past sponsored content. That's the core of the concern.
McMullen's company Billions Network focuses on decentralized identity and agent-based interactions, so his view carries weight in the blockchain and AI communities. But the warning isn't coming from a fringe player alone; it aligns with public remarks from Hoskinson and Cohen.
Still early days
Most AI agents today remain experimental or limited to specific tasks. Widespread adoption that would dent Google's or Meta's revenue is years away, if it happens at all. But the fact that prominent tech figures are already voicing the worry suggests it's a scenario the big players are taking seriously—even if they won't say so publicly.
The question now is how Alphabet and Meta respond. They could build their own agent ecosystems, strike deals with agent platforms, or push for regulation that keeps the current ad model intact. None of those paths are guaranteed to work.
