Google Avoids Breakup in Antitrust Ruling, Faces Limited Restrictions

A federal judge delivered a mixed verdict in the landmark Google antitrust case Tuesday, blocking the tech giant's exclusive search deals while allowing it to keep its Chrome browser and Android operating system.

District Judge Amit Mehta barred Google from signing exclusive contracts for Search, Chrome, Google Assistant, and its Gemini app. The ruling aims to give competitors more room to compete in the search market.

Key Restrictions Imposed

The judge's decision requires Google to:

• End exclusive search placement deals with partners
• Share certain search index and user interaction data with rivals
• Stop benefiting from exclusionary practices that maintain its search monopoly

However, Google can continue paying partners like Apple and Samsung to preload or feature its products. The company paid Apple roughly $20 billion in 2022 to remain the default search engine on Apple devices.

Softer Than Expected Penalties

The ruling falls short of the Justice Department's aggressive demands, which included:

• Forcing Google to sell Chrome browser
• Breaking off the Android operating system
• Ending multibillion-dollar default search agreements entirely

"Unlike the typical case where the court's job is to resolve a dispute based on historic facts, here the court is asked to gaze into a crystal ball and look to the future," Mehta wrote. "Not exactly a judge's forte."

Market Reaction and Next Steps

Alphabet shares jumped as much as 8% in extended trading, reflecting investor relief that the company avoided the harshest penalties.

The judgment lasts six years and takes effect in 60 days. A technical committee will help enforce the ruling, though its composition remains unclear.

This decision follows Mehta's August ruling that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in online search through payments to secure default placement on smartphones and web browsers.