"Sticky anchor ads hurt UX and rankings" — overblown

"Sticky anchor ads hurt UX and rankings" — overblown
People rip out the bottom sticky anchor scared of a Google penalty. There isn't one for the standard AdSense anchor — it's a Google-sanctioned format.
What I actually found testing it: the anchor is one of the highest-RPM units because it's persistent and viewable 100% of the session.
The real UX killer isn't the anchor, it's stacking the anchor + a vignette + a popup. THAT's the cluster that tanks engagement.
Keep the anchor. Drop one of the interstitials instead. Test it on one page first.