Google escapes U.S. bid to break up its ad business
A U.S. federal judge has rejected the Department of Justice's request to force Google to sell parts of its digital advertising business. Instead, the court will implement specific operational rules, marking another instance where the government failed to dismantle a major tech company's assets.
Why it matters
This decision represents a significant hurdle for federal antitrust efforts aimed at curbing the market dominance of big tech firms.
A U.S. federal judge on Wednesday refused to force Google to sell a division of its digital advertising business, rejecting the government’s push to break up part of the company’s ad empire.
In a court order, U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema opted instead for a set of rules governing how Google must operate in the ad market.
The decision is the second time in recent years that a federal judge has declined to dismantle a piece of Google’s business, after a judge last year refused to force the sale of its Chrome browser in a separate monopoly case over online search.
Those cases are part of a broader effort by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to curtail the competitive dominance of big tech companies, including Apple, Amazon and Meta.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in