The judge in the Google Search antitrust case has ruled against the government’s proposals to break up the tech giant, including a forced sale of its Chrome browser. The ruling also allows Google to maintain its massive $20 billion deal with Apple, although the tech giant will be forced to end exclusive distribution contacts. Both the Big Tech Masters of the Universe and the stock market are celebrating the decision as a massive win for Google.
Bloomberg reports that the U.S. government’s bid to curb the power of Big Tech faced a setback on Tuesday as Judge Amit Mehta delivered his ruling in the landmark search antitrust case against Google, the biggest such case in three decades. While finding that Google will have to make some concessions, the judge stopped short of ordering the most severe remedies sought by antitrust enforcers.
Under the ruling, Google must share some of its online search data with rivals and end exclusive distribution contracts designed to force devicemakers to bundle Google apps together. However, it avoided the forced divestiture of key assets like the Chrome browser, which the judge said the government “overreached” in seeking. The emergence of generative AI played a role in the case, with Judge Mehta acknowledging it represents a long-term threat to the search industry as chatbots and other AI technologies advance.
Google praised the decision for recognizing AI’s impact on the search landscape, though it expressed concerns about the privacy implications of the mandated data-sharing requirements. Shares of Google’s parent company Alphabet surged more than eight percent in morning trading following the release of the ruling.
The judge’s decision allows Google to continue paying partners like Apple for preferential placement of its search engine, a crucial win for both companies. Apple receives an estimated $20 billion annually from Google for making it the default search option on iPhones. The ruling does require Apple to better promote alternative search engines and adjust default settings yearly.
Judge Mehta indicated the allowance of payments could be revisited if competition is not substantially restored through the imposed remedies. Analysts at MoffettNathanson called the ruling a “slap on the wrist” and “a home run for the status quo” that has greatly benefited Google and Apple.
The case, initially filed in the final months of the Trump administration, concluded with Judge Mehta siding with the government in August 2024, finding Google illegally dominated the search market through billions in payments for default placement. The Justice Department subsequently proposed remedies including the Chrome divestiture and data sharing.
Google argued these measures were too extreme and would harm consumers, the economy, and America’s tech leadership position. The judge largely agreed, though the data sharing requirement marks a modest win for the DOJ along with the ban on Google mandating device makers take all its apps to access the Play Store.
Read more at Bloomberg here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
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