Google Avoids Chrome Divestiture in Antitrust Remedy, Faces Data Sharing Mandates

WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta has issued a remedy order in the landmark antitrust case against Google, opting against the government's call for a structural breakup of the tech giant, including the divestiture of its Chrome browser or Android operating system. The decision, delivered on Tuesday, mandates Google to share certain search data with qualified competitors and prohibits exclusive contracts for product distribution, but allows the company to continue making payments for default search engine placement.

The ruling has drawn sharp criticism from prominent antitrust advocates, including Tim Wu, former special assistant to the president for competition and tech policy. Wu, in a recent tweet, characterized the remedy as "chickenshit," stating, "Huge amounts of effort and thinking, but judge went wimpy when it came to actually trying to remedy the problem he had well identified." This sentiment was echoed by others, with Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney remarking that Google "resoundingly" won the remedies phase despite losing the liability trial.

Judge Mehta's decision requires Google to share portions of its search index and syndicate search results to rivals, aiming to "pry open" the market. However, the judge stopped short of banning the multi-billion dollar payments Google makes to companies like Apple for default search placement, arguing that the emergence of generative AI "changed the course of this case" by introducing new competitive dynamics. Google's stock price surged following the announcement, reflecting investor relief.

The Department of Justice, which had sought more aggressive measures, stated it would "consider the department’s options and next steps regarding seeking additional relief." Google, while expressing concerns about data privacy implications of the sharing mandates, praised the court's recognition of the evolving AI landscape. The ruling is seen as a significant precedent for ongoing antitrust cases against other major tech firms, though the legal battle is expected to continue with Google's planned appeal.