DOJ Moves Toward Historic Tech Industry Shake-Up
Google has returned to court this week for the concluding stage of a high-profile antitrust case brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which could lead to the breakup of the tech giant. This case, originally filed in 2020, accuses Google Faces Potential Breakup of unfairly maintaining its monopoly over online search by paying browser and smartphone manufacturers—like Apple—to secure its position as the default search engine.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta previously ruled that Google is indeed a monopolist and used its power to stifle competition. With Google’s appeal on hold until this phase of the trial concludes, the current proceedings will focus on determining how the company should be penalized for its anticompetitive practices.
The Department of Justic (DOJ) is advocating for significant structural remedies, including forcing Google to stop making payments to third parties for search engine defaults, and potentially spinning off its Chrome web browser and Android operating system. Both platforms are critical to Google’s market dominance, with Chrome holding the top spot among browsers and Android powering the majority of the world’s smartphones.
Google’s Defense and Industry Implications
In response, Google has maintained that its popularity stems from consumer choice, not coercion. “People don’t use Google because they have to—they use it because they want to,” said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s Vice President for Regulatory Affairs. The company argues that the DOJ’s proposed remedies are extreme and disconnected from the specific conduct found to be anticompetitive. In its legal filings, Google warned that such measures could hurt consumers, stall innovation, and disrupt various markets beyond search—such as digital advertising and AI.
Experts note that while Google may appeal any eventual ruling, this case already represents a watershed moment in digital market regulation. Vanderbilt Law School professor Rebecca Haw Allensworth emphasized that the trial is setting the tone for future tech oversight. “Just because you were innovative doesn’t mean you get to block others from innovating too,” she said.
This echoes the historic antitrust battle against Microsoft in the late 1990s, which revolved around its bundling of Internet Explorer with Windows. Although Microsoft avoided being split up, the case paved the way for new competitors—including Google—to rise. Now, Google Faces Potential Breakup a similar reckoning that could redefine competition in today’s digital economy.
AI, Advertising, and the Broader Big Tech Crackdown
Beyond search and browsers, the trial touches on Google’s broader ecosystem, including its investments in artificial intelligence. Initially, the DOJ proposed that Google divest from its AI ventures, such as its $3 billion stake in Anthropic, the company behind the Claude AI model. However, the government later softened its stance, expressing concerns about overreach in a rapidly evolving industry.
Google Faces Potential Breakup is also battling legal challenges on other fronts. A Virginia judge recently ruled against the company in a separate case concerning online advertising monopolies. Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is defending his company in a different FTC-led antitrust case targeting acquisitions meant to eliminate rivals.
Legal experts believe that a strong decision against Google could open new opportunities for startups and competitors, especially in search and generative AI. “Google is like gravity—it pulls people back to the old way of doing things,” said John Newman, an antitrust law professor at the University of Miami. A court-imposed remedy could finally disrupt that gravitational pull, reshaping the tech landscape for years to come.
