Google has won a major reprieve in its long-running antitrust battle with the U.S. government, after a federal judge rejected demands that it divest its Chrome web browser. However, the court imposed sweeping remedies aimed at curbing Google’s dominance in online search and preventing future monopolistic practices.
Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling comes nearly a year after he found that Google illegally maintained its search monopoly through multibillion-dollar distribution agreements with Apple, Samsung, and other device makers that ensured Google remained the default search engine on their devices.
The Justice Department had argued that Chrome—used by billions worldwide and powering roughly one-third of Google searches—was central to the company’s market dominance and should be spun off. But Mehta said such a move would be “incredibly messy and highly risky,” calling the government’s demand an overreach.
Instead, the judge ordered Google to:
1. Share its search index data and certain user interaction information with qualified competitors to level the playing field.
2. Stop using exclusive contracts to dominate emerging generative AI search technologies, in the same way it cornered the traditional search market.
3. Submit to oversight from a technical committee that will monitor compliance with the remedies, effective within 60 days.
The decision is one of the most significant antitrust rulings in decades. While it falls short of the breakup many critics had hoped for, analysts say it could reshape Google’s business practices and influence the future of AI-driven search.
Google vice president of regulatory affairs Lee-Anne Mulholland said the ruling reflected how AI is transforming the search industry.
“Today’s decision recognizes how much the industry has changed through the advent of AI, which is giving people so many more ways to find information. Competition is intense, and people can easily choose the services they want.”
However, she warned that the court’s remedies—particularly requirements to share data—raise “serious concerns” about user privacy.
The Justice Department described the measures as “significant,” but said it was still reviewing the ruling and weighing whether to seek additional relief.
The case is part of a broader offensive against Big Tech. Google is simultaneously facing another antitrust lawsuit in Virginia targeting its ad tech business, which a different judge has already ruled to be an illegal monopoly. Meanwhile, Meta, Apple, and Amazon are all fighting federal cases of their own.
The original search monopoly case against Google was filed in 2020 under the Trump administration and carried forward by the Biden administration as part of a bipartisan push to rein in the power of Silicon Valley giants.
Investors reacted swiftly to Tuesday’s decision: Alphabet shares surged 7.5% in after-hours trading, while Apple rose more than 3%. Analysts at Wedbush Securities called the ruling “a home run” for Google and “a monster win” for Apple, which relies heavily on Google’s payments for default search placement on iPhones.
By sparing Chrome but imposing guardrails, Mehta’s ruling signals a new era of regulation for the search giant—one that could determine how Google competes in the fast-changing landscape of artificial intelligence.
