Google Antitrust Case: Judge’s Remedies Ruling Signals Uphill Battle for Big Tech Breakup

A recent judicial decision has significantly tempered the U.S. government’s aggressive stance against Google, with a federal judge granting only limited remedies in a landmark antitrust case. The ruling signals a challenging path for efforts to fundamentally restructure or ‘break up’ Big Tech.

On Tuesday, Judge Amit Mehta, who previously declared Google an illegal monopolist in 2024, rejected the Justice Department’s most stringent proposals, including forcing Google to divest its Chrome browser. The ruling, the first on remedies in the numerous tech antitrust cases, largely favored Google, causing its stock to surge 9 percent following the decision.

This decision comes as part of a multi-year effort by antitrust enforcers, spanning administrations, to curb the power of tech giants like Google, Meta, Amazon, and Apple. While the government secured liability wins against Google in previous stages, the remedies phase has proven to be a significant hurdle, indicating that even a finding of monopoly may not lead to substantial changes in market structure.

The ruling has drawn sharp criticism from politicians and advocacy groups, who decried it as a “slap on the wrist” for Google and a failure to restore meaningful competition. Calls for the DOJ to appeal have already emerged. Conversely, the DOJ, under the “second Trump administration,” framed the outcome as a victory, albeit acknowledging the need to review options for seeking additional relief. Other tech companies, including Apple and Mozilla, expressed relief as their lucrative search deals with Google remain intact.

The complexity of regulating the fast-evolving tech industry, particularly with the rise of generative AI, was cited by Judge Mehta as a factor in his cautious approach. While a breakup remains possible in a separate ad tech market case, this ruling underscores the difficulty of imposing substantial structural changes on tech titans and highlights the ongoing debate over how to foster competition in dynamic digital markets.

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