Google dodges breakup as judge rejects Chrome sale in monopoly ruling

"Alphabet stock surged on Sep. 2, 2025, after federal Judge Amit Mehta filed remedy decisions in the landmark Google monopoly case, with investors betting that potential breakup orders would be less severe than anticipated"

"The remedy phase follows Judge Mehta's earlier ruling that Google operates an illegal monopoly in search and search advertising markets, violating federal antitrust laws through exclusive deals with device manufacturers and browser companies"

"Judge Mehta must now decide between structural remedies like breaking up Google's business units, behavioral changes like ending exclusive search agreements, or financial penalties to restore competition"

"The Justice Department's Antitrust Division has argued for aggressive structural remedies including potentially spinning off Chrome browser or Android operating system to restore genuine competition in search markets"

"Google's legal team contends that modest behavioral changes are sufficient to address monopoly concerns, arguing that structural breakup would harm innovation and consumer benefits from integrated services"

"The case represents the most significant antitrust enforcement action against Big Tech since the Microsoft case in the 1990s, with implications for how dominant technology platforms can use market power to suppress competition"

"Google controls approximately 90% of search traffic through exclusive deals worth billions with companies like Apple ($20 billion annually), Samsung, and Mozilla, preventing rival search engines from accessing users needed to compete effectively"