Washington: Google will not be forced to sell its Chrome browser or Android operating system, a US judge ruled on Tuesday, marking a rare courtroom victory for Big Tech in its battle with antitrust enforcers. However, the court ordered the company to share data with competitors in a move aimed at loosening its grip on online search.
Shares of Google parent Alphabet jumped 7.2 percent in extended trading following the ruling, while Apple gained 3 percent as the decision allows the iPhone maker to continue receiving billions in revenue-sharing payments from Google.
The ruling by US District Judge Amit Mehta caps a five-year legal fight between Washington regulators and one of the world’s most profitable companies. Mehta previously found Google guilty of illegally monopolizing online search and advertising markets but said remedies should reflect evolving competition, particularly the rise of artificial intelligence.
“Here, the court is asked to gaze into a crystal ball and look to the future. Not exactly a judge’s forte,” Mehta wrote, stressing humility in shaping remedies amid fast-moving technological change.
Mehta pointed to AI-powered platforms such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT as the most significant threat to Google’s dominance in decades. Access to the search data Google must share could accelerate the development of AI-driven search engines and browsers.
The decision also clears the way for Apple and other device makers to keep receiving advertising revenue from Google, which pays Apple an estimated $20 billion annually to remain the default search engine on iPhones. Mehta rejected calls to ban such payments, saying they pose less of a competitive threat amid the surge in AI-based alternatives.
At the same time, the ruling prohibits Google from signing exclusive contracts that block rivals’ apps or services from being preloaded on devices. Recent agreements with Samsung, Motorola, AT&T, and Verizon already reflect such concessions.
Despite Tuesday’s reprieve, Google remains entangled in multiple antitrust battles. Later this month, it faces a separate trial over its dominance in digital advertising technology, while the company continues to fight a ruling requiring changes to its app store in a case brought by ‘Fortnite’ maker Epic Games.
Google said in a blog post that it is reviewing the decision but raised concerns that mandated data sharing could affect user privacy. The company is expected to appeal, which could send the case to the US Supreme Court.
