The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ) has asked a federal judge to break up Google, arguing that the company’s monopoly in internet search has stifled competition and needs to be dismantled.
There will be a big shift in the smartphone industry if Google and Chrome break up, especially impacting brands and their phone models that centers their features around Google's Gemini AI.
Proposed actions include forcing Google to sell off its Chrome browser and potentially divest Android if competition isn’t restored — a dramatic escalation in one of the most important tech antitrust cases in decades.
This trial could reshape how Malaysians (and the world) interact with Google’s services across devices, browsers, and AI tools.
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
Premise
In 2023, the court filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Google and its monopoly in digital advertisements. The court argued that Google's actions have harmed competitors, publishers, and consumers. It was ultimately ruled that Google violated antitrust laws though practices including tying ad products and enforcing anticompetitive policies.
The case was held in the midst of a broader movement to address growing antitrust concerns in the tech industry, with companies like Meta, Amazon, and Apple also facing scrutiny.
- Gemini vs ChatGPT
The DOJ also argued that Google is repeating its search monopoly strategy to dominate AI via Gemini, locking it into Android smartphones, Chrome browser queries and future integration into services like Maps, Gmail, and YouTube.
At the moment, the court is questioning Google's involvement in existing search data dominance to dominate AI.
Google's Response
In turn, Google announced plans to appeal the ruling, affirming that its ad tools are competitive and beneficial to publishers.
Google debated that the DOJ’s case is based on an outdated understanding of the advertising market, failing to account for competition from other bigger tech platforms like Meta, Amazon, and others.
Current Demands For Google
However the appeal may go, the outcome that DOJ wants is to stop Google from:
- Paying billions to Apple, Samsung, Mozilla, and others for default placement
- Blocking rival search engines from gaining traction
- Using its search dominance to fuel AI (Gemini) control
Currently, DOJ is pushing its main proposal for Google to divest Chrome, one of the biggest gateways to its search engine, which currently dominates the online market.
Judge Amit P . Mehta of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will be expected to make a decision soon—by mid-2025. The court present options which included:
- Forcing Google to sell Chrome
- Banning default search deals
- Splitting off Android if no competition returns
- Mandating search result syndication to rivals
Whether Google gets broken up or not, everyone should be prepared for changes in how digital products are bundled, monetised, and governed.
News sources: New York Times, Reuters, US DOJ
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