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Google Faces Potential Breakup After Landmark Antitrust Ruling
19 Aug
Summary
- US judge found Google illegally monopolized search market in 2024
- Government wants Google to sell Chrome browser and license search data
- OpenAI and Perplexity express interest in acquiring Chrome
In a major antitrust development, Alphabet Inc.'s Google faced a significant setback in 2024 when a US judge ruled that the company had illegally monopolized the search market. This landmark decision has now set the stage for a potential forced breakup of the tech giant.
According to the ruling, the US government is seeking to dismantle Google's monopoly power by demanding the company sell its Chrome web browser and license its search data to competitors. This would mark the biggest forced breakup of a US company since the dismantling of AT&T in 1984.
In anticipation of the judge's upcoming decision on remedies, artificial intelligence companies OpenAI and Perplexity have expressed interest in acquiring Google's Chrome browser, which together with the open-source Chromium software, is the primary way people access the web on personal computers. This development suggests that the potential breakup of Google could have far-reaching implications for the tech industry.
As the tech giant faces this significant antitrust challenge, the outcome of the case is expected to have a profound impact on the future of the search market and the broader digital landscape in the United States.
