In a landmark decision, Google has dodged the requirement to sell its web browser, Chrome, following a ruling in what is being referred to as one of the most significant US antitrust cases in nearly thirty years. The ruling, described as a win for the tech giant, comes after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) accused Google of holding an illegal monopoly in the search engine market.
The DOJ's proposed solution was for Google to divest Chrome, with offers from companies like Perplexity AI amounting to $34.5 billion. However, the judge's decision spares Google from such a move. While Google will need to share some online search data with competitors like Bing, DuckDuckGo, and AI companies, the company will retain the ability to pay for default search engine placement on various platforms, including the lucrative deal with Apple.
Other repercussions include changes for Android manufacturers and improvements in promoting alternative search engines. Overall, Google emerges from this case relatively unscathed, with implications for various players in the tech industry.
This ruling not only impacts Google's operations but also reverberates through partnerships with companies like Apple and Mozilla.
