Last August, a judge sided with the DOJ and ruled that Google illegally held a monopoly in search and text advertising
Google is entering the remedy stage of the landmark antitrust trial today. District Judge Amit Mehta will hear from the tech giant and the Department of Justice about how they think the company should split its business.
Last August, US District Judge Amit Mehta sided with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and ruled that the nearly $2 trillion company illegally held a monopoly in search and text advertising.
Proposed bold remedies include:
- Ending Google’s default search deals with phone makers like Apple.
- Spin off its Chrome browser, which is the most used in the world.
- Divest from Android, the leading global smartphone OS.
Google argues such moves would hurt users and stifle innovation. Judge Mehta will preside over the hearing, which is expected to last several weeks.
The case could reshape how Big Tech is regulated, drawing comparisons to the Microsoft trial in the late 1990s. A ruling in favor of the government could open the door for new players in search and AI, shaking Google’s current dominance.
The tech company faces another challenge. A different US judge recently ruled it built an illegal ad tech monopoly in its $31 billion web advertising business.