The US Department of Justice (DoJ) is seeking to force Alphabet, Google’s parent company, to sell its Chrome browser following a significant antitrust ruling. In August 2024, a US court determined that Alphabet had engaged in illegal practices to maintain its dominance in the online search market.
Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Alphabet’s strategy of paying billions to secure Google as the default search engine on devices like those from Samsung and Apple was anti-competitive. The DoJ aims to address Alphabet’s practices, including preloading Android devices with Google products such as Chrome and the Play Store, which it argues unfairly advantage Google Search.
Alphabet has strongly opposed the DoJ’s proposals, with Kent Walker, the company’s president of global affairs and chief legal officer, criticizing them as excessive and damaging. In a blog post, Walker described the intervention as “staggering” and harmful, warning that it would disrupt products widely used by consumers, compromise privacy, and reduce security.
He also pointed out that the proposals would hurt companies like Mozilla, which depends on Google’s payments for search placement in Firefox. Furthermore, Walker argued that the remedies could harm Alphabet’s investments in artificial intelligence (AI), a critical area of innovation.
Alphabet has linked the proposed government intervention to potential setbacks in AI development. The company has increased its efforts to highlight the dangers of government overreach, arguing that such actions could discourage investment and hinder emerging business models.
DoJ Moves to Force Alphabet to Sell Chrome After Antitrust Ruling on Google’s Market Dominance
Lee-Anne Mulholland, Alphabet’s vice president of regulatory affairs, stressed the need to avoid heavy-handed regulation in the AI sector, claiming that government interference would risk damaging America’s technological leadership and innovation.
The antitrust case is part of a wider trend of regulatory scrutiny against Alphabet. Recently, the Court of Justice of the European Union upheld a €2.4 billion fine against Google for abusing its dominant position in shopping comparison services.
This ruling, along with others, reflects the growing global concern over Alphabet’s competitive practices and its ability to maintain market dominance through potentially anti-competitive methods.
The future of Alphabet will also be shaped by the new US administration under President-elect Donald Trump. Daniel Castro, vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, has called for a regulatory approach that fosters innovation while preventing overly restrictive policies.
Castro suggests that the new administration should support the growth of AI and avoid creating conflicting state-level regulations that could hinder business operations. The policies adopted by Trump’s administration will play a crucial role in determining how Alphabet addresses its legal challenges moving forward.
