AppsFlyer’s Gal Ekstein: How AI Is Transforming Growth and Attribution

Today we're meeting Gal Ekstein, Chief Business Officer at AppsFlyer. They specialise in AI-powered, privacy-first measurement technologies that turn data into growth opportunities. Over to you Gal – my questions are in bold:

Who are you and what's your background?

I'm Gal Ekstein, a tech executive with over two decades in digital marketing. I started my career in the online advertising space and have held leadership roles in both startups and more established adtech firms.

For the past six years I've been at AppsFlyer, where I initially served as President & GM for EMEA and LATAM. In that regional role, my team drove a 3.3× revenue growth in those markets. This track record – and my passion for data-driven innovation – ultimately led to my appointment as Chief Business Officer.

I now lead the GTM Organisation in my new role and it's my job (and passion!) to ensure that we are acting in one cohesive GTM motion across all functions, breaking silos, and ensuring our customers received a 'One AppsFlyer' experience.

What is your job title, and what are your general responsibilities?

As Chief Business Officer at AppsFlyer, I lead our global go-to-market strategy. My responsibilities include spearheading our expansion into new markets and driving sustainable growth worldwide. I oversee teams across sales, partnerships, marketing, and client success to ensure we're delivering value to customers and fostering strong partnerships.

A big part of my role is leveraging cutting-edge technologies to strengthen AppsFlyer's market presence. In essence, I'm tasked with making sure our innovative measurement and analytics solutions reach the right customers, continue to meet their needs, and ultimately serve our partners and the broader ecosystem.

Can you give us an overview of your business and what drew you to lead the organisation?

AppsFlyer is a global leader in mobile marketing analytics and attribution, helping over 80,000 businesses – from startups to leading brands – measure and optimise their campaigns whilst preserving user privacy.

Our platform covers everything from campaign measurement and deep linking to fraud prevention and data clean rooms. I was drawn by AppsFlyer's mission and values – the company is built to be a truly unbiased, independent platform, with privacy-first innovation at its core.

That ethos resonated with me and gave me the chance to help marketers get reliable insights without compromising consumer trust.

Who are your target customers? What's your revenue model?

AppsFlyer's client base spans the entire marketing ecosystem. We serve app developers, growth marketers, and data leaders at brands large and small – across mobile, web, CTV, and beyond. Our customers include agencies, publishers, and platforms looking to connect and measure the full customer journey.

Our business model is SaaS: customers subscribe to our platform, typically via usage-based licences. By consistently delivering ROI through accurate measurement, privacy-first data collaboration, fraud prevention, and AI-powered analytics, we've grown alongside our clients — surpassing $400 million in annual recurring revenue.

Ultimately, when our customers grow, we grow — so we focus on building long-term, trusted partnerships that power sustainable growth across every channel.

What's the most challenging problem your team has solved recently?

One recent challenge was staying ahead of increasingly sophisticated mobile ad fraud. Fraudsters constantly evolve their tactics, which threatens our clients' budgets and data accuracy.

In response, we enhanced our Protect360 fraud protection with a new AI-driven layer, leveraging multiple machine learning models to detect and deter fraud in real time. The impact has been dramatic – we now catch fraudulent activity up to 8× faster than before, with over 90% accuracy. This has safeguarded our customers' ad spend and reinforced their trust in the integrity of their data.

If you had a magic wand, what one thing would you change in the mobile industry?

One thing I'd change is the friction between user privacy and effective marketing. Ideally, the industry would agree on privacy-first standards for data and attribution, so we don't have fragmented "walled gardens."

Marketers would then get the insights they need across platforms without compromising trust, and users would have consistent data transparency and safety everywhere. In short, it would align the entire ecosystem – from app developers to platform owners – around delivering great experiences in a privacy-respectful way.

What is your message for the larger players in the mobile industry marketplace?

My message to the tech giants is simple: keep users first and collaborate with the rest of the ecosystem. Collaboration beats working in silos. When major platforms partner with independent players and the broader community, we can innovate together on privacy, attribution, fraud prevention, and more.

I encourage those big companies to be transparent and to embrace open, privacy-conscious measurement solutions – for example, support initiatives that let marketers measure campaigns across your platforms in a privacy-safe way. The mobile industry thrives on cooperation, which ultimately benefits both users and businesses.

Where do you get your mobile industry news from?

I keep up through a mix of industry publications and community insight. I regularly read Mobile Industry Review (of course!), plus Mobile Dev Memo and similar analyst blogs for deep dives into mobile marketing trends, and I follow mainstream tech news sites (TechCrunch, etc.) for major industry updates.

I also use LinkedIn to catch real-time perspectives from peers and thought leaders. Plus, I subscribe to a few mobile-focused newsletters and podcasts.

Above all, I travel regularly to the many industry-leading events that we produce across the world under our MAMA brand. These opportunities to mix with the ecosystem face-to-face, understand their challenges and opportunities, and find win-win partnerships are priceless.

But most importantly, I rely on frequent chats with our customers. These conversations give me frontline insights into what's happening in the market and are ultimately the most valuable source of truth.

Can you list 3 people you rate from the mobile industry that we should be following on LinkedIn, and why?

• Eric Seufert – author of Mobile Dev Memo and a top analyst on mobile advertising. He provides sharp insight, especially on growth and privacy changes.
• Andy Carvell and the team at Phiture are doing an incredible job supporting digital growth across the entire tech stack, not just UA, so I enjoy keeping up to speed on their work. B
• Benedict Evans – a well-known tech analyst whose strategic take on industry trends often highlights mobile's bigger picture.

Following these three will give you a great mix of hands-on marketing knowledge and high-level perspective. I also keep a close eye on the business / commercial side of our industry following VCs such as Tomasz Tunguz, Mary Meeker (of course), and many others.

What are your go-to mobile apps for both work and personal use?

For work, I rely on Slack for team communications (especially across regions) and our AppsFlyer mobile app to monitor key campaign metrics on the go. LinkedIn is another staple for networking and industry updates.

In my personal life, I'm an avid Spotify user – music is constantly on in the background. I also use Strava to track workouts and WhatsApp to stay connected with family and friends.

And as a big sports fan, I never miss a beat with the NBA app and the EPL (English Premier League) app, which keep me up to date on scores, highlights, and games. These apps cover my daily essentials, from collaboration and information to entertainment and staying in touch.

Tell us about your approach to mobile devices - what do you use and what drives your upgrade decisions?

I use both major mobile platforms. My main device is an iPhone for its security and user experience, but I also carry an Android phone to stay familiar with that ecosystem.

I'm not one to upgrade just for the sake of it – I only change phones when there are improvements that truly matter to me. Better battery life, real performance boosts, camera innovations, or any feature that improves my productivity are what drive my upgrades.

In short, my phone is a tool, and I replace it only when a new device offers a meaningful step up.

What's the best new mobile technology product or service you've seen recently?

I'm excited about how AI is being integrated into mobile experiences. For instance, some apps now use generative AI to tailor the entire user journey in real time – it's like having a personal assistant inside the app. That level of personalisation feels very futuristic.

On the hardware side, the rise of AR (augmented reality) is fascinating. Apple's Vision Pro headset, whilst not a phone, signals how our computing and mobile experiences could converge beyond the handset. Innovations that blend smarter software (AI-driven personalisation) with new form factors (like AR wearables) really hint at the future of mobile.

Finally, let's talk predictions. What trends do you think are going to define the next few years in the mobile industry?

Privacy will remain paramount – expect ongoing moves to enforce privacy-by-design in mobile marketing. Attribution methods will adapt accordingly, relying more on aggregated data and privacy-safe frameworks like SKAN. Data collaboration will rise as companies use secure clean rooms to share insights and enrich their audiences without exposing personal data.

Meanwhile, AI will play a larger role in campaign optimisation and personalisation. Finally, cross-platform measurement will become standard – brands will demand a unified view of customers across mobile, web, connected TV, and gaming consoles. Overall, the next few years will be defined by privacy-first innovation, AI-driven marketing, and a truly cross-platform approach.

Thank you Gal. Connect with Gal on LinkedIn and read more about AppsFlyer at appsflyer.com.