Google back in the hot seat as antitrust pushes Chrome sell
Alphabet-owned Google returned to a Washington DC courtroom on Monday for the remedies phase of the US government’s landmark antitrust case, with the department of justice (DOJ) calling for a structural breakup of the tech giant – including a forced sale of its Chrome browser.
The trial follows a 2023 ruling by US district judge Amit Mehta, who found that Google had illegally maintained a monopoly over search by striking a multi-billion dollar default placement deals with phone makers like Apple and Samsung.
Prosecutors argue those arrangements locked out competitors and cemented Google’s market dominance.
“We are not here for Pyrrhic victory. We are here to restore competition,” DOJ attorney David Dahlquist told the court in his opening remarks.
Assistant attorney Gail Slater added outside court: “The threat Google presents is not just to competitors, but to freedom of innovation itself”.
Chrome, Android, and Gemini in DOJ’s crosshairs
The DOJ is pushing for Google to divest Chrome entirely, unwind its exclusive search distribution agreements, and block similar deals on emerging AI tools such as its Gemini chatbot.
Prosecutors are also seeking remedies that could impact Google’s Android business if structural changes fail to restore competitive conditions.
Google maintains that the DOJ’s proposals go far beyond the scope of the original ruling and could damage US innovation at a critical point in the global AI race.
In a pre-trial blog post, Google said a forced Chrome divestment could carry “devastating consequences”, and that restrictions on AI product distribution would “harm consumers and the broader economy”.
“The sweeping remedy proposals are both unnecessary and harmful”, said Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs.
Wall Street watches tech break-up threats
The case, which could reshape the future of search and AI markets, is being closely watched by investors amid growing regulatory scrutiny across big tech.
Google’s parent company Alphabet remains one of the most valuable firms in the world, with a market cap nearing $2tr.
Shares were flat on Monday ahead of proceedings.
Tech rivals and industry figures are set to testify over the next three weeks, including Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai, and executives from Microsoft, Apple, and OpenAI.
A ruling on remedies is expected later this year, with Google expected to appeal.
This forms the second major antitrust case that Google faces in the US, after a separate ruling found its ad-tech practices also violated competition law.