Google secured a major win by avoiding a court-ordered breakup, but will face new restrictions on its business practices following a much-anticipated antitrust ruling. A US judge rejected the government’s demand for Google to sell its Chrome browser but imposed remedies designed to increase competition in the search market.
The verdict from Judge Amit Mehta can be viewed as a split decision. The biggest victory for Google was retaining Chrome and the ability to continue its multi-billion dollar payments to partners like Apple for default search engine placement. The judge reasoned that a breakup or a ban on payments would be too disruptive and harmful to consumers and partners.
However, the Department of Justice also claimed key wins. The court ordered Google to end its practice of forcing device makers into exclusive contracts and mandated that the company share some of its search data with competitors. This second point is particularly crucial, as it could empower rivals, including new AI-driven search platforms, to build more competitive products.
The ruling underscores the evolving nature of antitrust law in the digital age, with the judge explicitly referencing the rise of AI as a mitigating factor against harsher penalties. While Google expressed concern about the new requirements, and its critics called the remedies too weak, the decision sets a new precedent for how courts may balance market dominance with technological innovation.