Google escapes ad tech breakup in third Big Tech antitrust loss for US

A US federal judge on Wednesday (Sep 2) dismissed the government's attempt to break up a segment of Google's digital advertising business, rejecting calls for the company to sell off a division. Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a court order instead, mandating specific rules on how Google must conduct its operations in the ad market.

The dispute centered around Google's AdX, the platform through which publishers pay Google a 20% fee to sell ads via instantaneous auctions when users visit websites. The Department of Justice contended that Google had been unable to effectively manage the online advertising exchange following Brinkema's ruling that the company had unlawfully stifled competition.

This marks the second time in recent years that a federal judge has declined to dismantle a portion of Google's operations, following a similar ruling last year that prevented the forced sale of Google's Chrome browser as part of a broader antitrust case. This ruling is part of a larger initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to curb the competitive power of major technology firms like Apple, Amazon, and Meta, with mixed results.