The Trade Desk

Industries Software and Services

Rating Overview

Risk Rating: Lower

The Trade Desk is Lower Risk.

The Trade Desk is Lower Risk. The company does not yield to political activism in shaping corporate governance, preventing initiatives that potentially alienate consumers, divide employees, and harm shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Overall, The Trade Desk does not embrace corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach protects free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria Risk Level
Cancellations Lower Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy Lower Risk
Employment Protection High Risk

Corporate Weaponization

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria Risk Level
Advocacy Bias Lower Risk
Funding Medium Risk
Political Actions No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization


Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

The Trade Desk has not publicly canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

The Trade Desk does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

The Trade Desk provides panels, training, and partnerships on LGBTQ inclusion, gender identity, allyship, and trans acceptance (1). The company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (2).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy


Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

The Trade Desk used its X account to support the Black Lives Matter campaign (1). The Trade Desk scored a 10 out of 100 on the 2025 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a political stakeholder group (2)(3). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using its reputation to advance ideological causes or policies (4).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

The Trade Desk is a sponsor of Out in Tech, an LGBTQ-focused nonprofit that advances DEI-style inclusion initiatives that aim to increase LGBTQ+ representation in the technology industry through recruiting, workforce development and networking initiatives. The organization partners with corporations to advance LGBTQ+ inclusion initiatives and integrate LGBTQ+ representation goals into talent development and employee engagement strategies (1)(2)(3)(4). Otherwise, there are no publicly known cases of the company using corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (5).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

The Trade Desk does not operate a PAC or engage in lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).