Google

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Trial over Google’s search dominance is the federal government’s biggest antitrust case since going after Microsoft 25 years ago

The U.S. government is taking aim at what has been an indomitable empire: Google’s ubiquitous search engine that has become the internet’s main gateway.

https://fortune.com/2023/09/11/google-antitrust-trial/

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It’s Google versus the US in the biggest antitrust trial in decades  Google will confront a threat to its dominant search engine on Tuesday when federal regulators launch an attempt to dismantle its internet empire in the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century. Read more.

Why this matters: Federal lawyers and state attorneys general will try to prove Google rigged the market in its favor by locking its search engine in as the default choice in a plethora of places and devices.     Google says it faces a wide range of competition despite commanding about 90% of the internet search market. From Google’s perspective, perpetual improvements to its search engine explain why people almost reflexively keep coming back to it, a habit that long ago made “Googling” synonymous with looking things up on the internet.   Google could be hobbled if the trial ends in concessions that undercut its power. One possibility is that the company could be forced to stop paying Apple and other companies to make Google the default search engine on smartphones and computers.

Related coverage ➤ Google’s search engine dominance is at the center of the biggest US antitrust trial in decades EU targets Apple, Amazon, Meta and other Big Tech in next phase of digital crackdown Artificial intelligence technology behind ChatGPT was built in Iowa — with a lot of water

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What Google’s antitrust trial means for your search habits Google pays billions of dollars annually to ensure its search engine is the default choice in the world’s most popular smartphones and browsers. If U.S. government regulators prevail against the company in the nation’s biggest antitrust trial in a quarter century, the resulting changes could drastically undermine the dominance of a search engine that helps shape the internet. Read more.

Why this matters: A ruling by Judge Amit Mehta that Google has established an illegal monopoly in search could open new online avenues for consumers to pursue information, entertainment and commerce.   A blanket ban on default search engine agreements could trigger unintended consequences, such as raising prices on consumer products and services. “If Google is no longer paying big bucks to Apple and other companies, they might raise the prices for their devices,” said David Olson, an associate professor at Boston College Law School.   Though the trial is focused on Google’s search engine, a government victory could have sweeping consequences by cracking Apple’s digital wall around the iPhone that gives its software and pet products, such as Siri, exclusive access to over 1 billion users, setting the stage for another legal battle.

Related coverage ➤ Microsoft CEO says unfair practices by Google led to dominance as a search engine The Amazon antitrust lawsuit is likely to be a long and arduous journey for the FTC DuckDuckGo founder says Google’s phone and manufacturing partnerships thwart competition

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Fortnite maker accuses Google of bullying and bribing to block competition to its Android app store

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google on Monday confronted the second major U.S. antitrust trial in two months to cast the internet powerhouse as a brazen bully that uses its immense wealth and people’s dependence on one of its main products to stifle competition at consumers’ expense.

https://apnews.com/article/google-epic-games-app-store-antitrust-trial-75d18d01f96c40c7b52a042efdc2a114?

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? Google launches Gemini AI model

Photo: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images Google unveiled details about Gemini, the next version of its large language model that will power Bard and other products, Axios' Ina Fried reports. Why it matters: Google is eager to show it can keep up with rivals, especially OpenAI and Microsoft. Gemini is multimodal — recognizing video, images, text and voice. Keep reading ... Go deeper (60-page technical paper).

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Epic win: Jury decides Google has illegal monopoly in app store fight

Three years after Fortnite-maker Epic Games sued Apple and Google for allegedly running illegal app store monopolies, Epic has a win. The jury in Epic v. Google has just delivered its verdict — and it found that Google turned its Google Play app store and Google Play Billing service into an illegal monopoly.

https://www.theverge.com/23994174/epic-google-trial-jury-verdict-monopoly-google-play

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Google to pay $700 million and make tiny app store changes to settle with 50 states

On December 11th, a jury decided that Google has an illegal monopoly with its Google Play app store, handing Epic Games a win. But Epic wasn’t the only one fighting an antitrust case. All 50 state attorneys general settled a similar lawsuit in September, and we’ve just now learned what Google agreed to give up as a result: $700 million and a handful of minor concessions in the way that Google runs its store in the United States.

https://www.theverge.com/23994177/google-states-ag-google-play-antitrust-settlement

Who is eligible for Google's $700 million settlement payout?

Google will pay millions of U.S. consumers a combined $700 million as part of a settlement with state attorneys general over fees the tech giant charges for use of its app store.

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/eligible-googles-700-million-settlement-payout/story?

How Google’s Antitrust Trial Could Change Internet Search

In the ongoing court battle between Google and the U.S. Justice Department over whether the company has violated an antitrust law, the stakes are high. 

https://time.com/6324490/google-antitrust-trial/

The Epic question: how Google lost when Apple won

Apple rules the iPhone’s App Store with an iron fist — sideloading outside it is not allowed. Google lets anyone install any app on an Android phone. But guess which one of these two companies has an illegal monopoly, according to the courts?

https://www.theverge.com/24003500/epic-v-google-loss-apple-win-fortnite-trial-monopoly

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Google settles $5 billion consumer privacy lawsuit

Alphabet’s Google has agreed to settle a lawsuit claiming it secretly tracked the internet use of millions of people who thought they were doing their browsing privately.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/28/google-settles-5-billion-consumer-privacy-lawsuit.html

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Ex-Google engineer charged with stealing AI trade secrets while working with Chinese companies

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former software engineer at Google has been charged with stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets from the company while secretly working with two companies based in China, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

https://apnews.com/article/china-google-justice-department-63156ade1e564d15d92adbef91e9c5da?

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Gmail revolutionized email 20 years ago. People thought it was Google’s April Fool’s Day joke

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin loved pulling pranks, so much so they began rolling outlandish ideas every April Fool’s Day not long after starting their company more than a quarter century ago. One year, Google posted a job opening for a Copernicus research center on the moon. Another year, the company said it planned to roll out a “scratch and sniff” feature on its search engine.

https://apnews.com/article/google-gmail-anniversary-email-web-application-8ca1601944845282ecbc87ac9c335a6e?

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? Happy birthday, Gmail

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

20 years ago today, Google rolled out a new email service so lavish that people thought it was an April Fools' Day joke. The first iteration of Gmail offered 1 whole gigabyte of free storage — an unheard-of sum at the time. It was searchable, and multiple messages within the same conversation were threaded together. ? Given Google's penchant at the time for April Fools' pranks, some prospective users thought those features seemed too decadent to possibly be true. ? Now, Gmail has nearly 2 billion active accounts, and each one comes with 15 gigabytes of free storage, though many users pay for more. Keep reading.

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Google illegally maintains monopoly over internet search, judge rules

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge on Monday ruled that Google’s ubiquitous search engine has been illegally exploiting its dominance to squash competition and stifle innovation, a seismic decision that could shake up the internet and hobble one of the world’s best-known companies.

https://apnews.com/article/google-antitrust-search-engine-verdict-apple-319a61f20fb11510097845a30abaefd8?

 

Landmark Google case

By Ashley Gold

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios In the biggest tech antitrust ruling since the Microsoft case in the 1990s, a federal judge today said, "Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly." Why it matters: The ruling is proof current U.S. antitrust law can be successfully applied to online companies born in the digital age, and factors beyond customer price can convince a judge that a company acted as a monopolist. The Department of Justice and a number of states sued Google in 2020 for illegal dominance in online search, basing their case mostly on the contracts between Google and Apple's Safari and Mozilla's Firefox, worth billions. The other side: Google and its lawyers maintained throughout the trial that every decision made around search, and the default settings for search it paid for on Apple iPhones and Androids, were for providing the best possible consumer experience. People aren't forced to use Google on their smartphones, they choose to because they think it's the best, the company repeatedly argued. What's next: Another DOJ case focused on Google's advertising technology will go to trial in September, and a DOJ suit against Apple is also underway. The Federal Trade Commission has its own proceedings against Meta and Amazon. Go deeper

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? Government vs. Google

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A federal judge is actively considering breaking up Google after a landmark ruling last week that the tech giant has illegally abused its search monopoly, Axios managing editor for tech Scott Rosenberg writes. Why it matters: A court-ordered Google breakup would be America's most consequential antitrust action in decades. But figuring out how to split up the company could prove daunting. ? Between the lines: Antitrust-based corporate breakups are rare in U.S. history and have been difficult to manage and make stick. Even if the judge decides Google ought to be broken up, it's not clear where the company's fracture lines would fall: The overwhelming majority of the company's revenue still comes from search advertising. Keep reading ...

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Google pauses AI image generation after diversity controversies

Google has stopped allowing users to generate images of humans with its Gemini AI tool after people complained that it produced pictures of Black founding fathers, a female pope, and gay couples when you asked it to create images of straight couples.

https://www.axios.com/2024/02/23/google-gemini-images-stereotypes-controversy?

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Google

 

Yelp sued Google on Wednesday, alleging it used its monopoly to dominate local search and advertising markets. Yelp has long raised grievances with Google's search dominance, saying in the complaint that Google has stymied Yelp's reach since it rejected the tech giant's offer to buy the platform. Wednesday's Yelp lawsuit was one of the first steps taken since US District Judge Amit Mehta called Google a "monopolist" in a ruling earlier this month that concluded Google violated antitrust law. Yelp is seeking monetary damages and an “injunction prohibiting Google from continuing to engage in the anticompetitive practices.” Google said in a statement that it plans to appeal the decision.

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US considers asking court to break up Google as it weighs remedies in the antitrust case

The U.S. Department of Justice is considering asking a federal judge to break up Google after its ubiquitous search engine was declared an illegal monopoly, but it is just one of many possible remedies under review, according to a court filing.

https://apnews.com/article/google-search-antitrust-case-59114d8bf1dc4c8453c08acaa4051f14?

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Google

The US government is considering a breakup of Google after a federal judge ruled in August that the company had violated antitrust law by shutting out competitors in search. The Department of Justice in a court filing said it may recommend dismantling Google's core businesses, separating its search business from Android, Chrome and the Google Play app store. "That would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products and features over rivals or new entrants," the government said in its filing. The next stage of the legal fight likely involves a series of appeals and figuring out what penalties Google will face for its wrongdoing.

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⚖️ Legal struggle for Google's browser

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

The Justice Department is expected to present proposals today to limit Google's power in the wake of an August court ruling that the giant abused its search monopoly, Axios managing editor for tech Scott Rosenberg writes. Why it matters: Google's leaders will be distracted by the government's antitrust assault, just as the firm faces the greatest challenge in its history from the OpenAI/Microsoft alliance. The DOJ will ask the presiding judge to force Google to sell off or spin out the Chrome browser, according to a Bloomberg report. It's also likely to urge the judge to demand that Google license its search results and data to third parties and competitors. "Break up Google" is one scenario that no longer seems to be in play, and the government has decided not to seek the sale or spinout of Google-owned Android, the world's most popular mobile operating system. ?️ The big picture: Estimates of Chrome's market share vary but they all give Chrome billions of users on mobile and desktop — and half or more of the global browser market. Chrome is baked into the Android mobile operating system and has long served as a key starting point for Google searches. More recently, it has become a way for Google to funnel users toward its Gemini AI services. Owning Chrome lets Google follow users' online activity in ways that help it target the ads that make up the foundation of its business. ? Between the lines: Extracting Chrome from Google would require finding a buyer willing to pay up to $20 billion, per Bloomberg. If Google tries to set Chrome up as an independent company, the product — currently distributed free and supported by Google's advertising profits — would need to find a revenue source. Much of Chrome's popularity rests on the convenience of its integration with Google's search and other products. As Daring Fireball author John Gruber put it: "It's like saying I have to sell my left foot. It's very valuable to me, but of no value to anyone on its own." Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's VP for regulatory affairs: "The DOJ continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case ... The government putting its thumb on the scale in these ways would harm consumers, developers and American technological leadership at precisely the moment it is most needed."

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US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment

U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade.

https://apnews.com/article/google-search-monopoly-penalty-justice-department-84e07fec51c5c59751d846118cb900a7?

Google

The US government formally proposed a partial breakup of Google on Wednesday, urging a federal judge to force a sale of the company's Chrome web browser after a landmark ruling this year found that Google had violated US antitrust law with its search business. The request by the Justice Department and a group of states opens the door to the most significant antitrust penalties for a tech giant in a generation, targeting not only Google's illegal monopoly in search but also its growing ambitions in AI. If approved, the penalties could revolutionize how millions of Americans search for information and potentially disrupt the tight integration among many of Google's key products and services. Google has promised to appeal.

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Google

Google on Monday said that it has overcome a key challenge in quantum computing with a new chip, solving a computing problem in five minutes that would take a classical computer more time than the history of the universe. Like other tech giants such as Microsoft and IBM, Google is chasing quantum computing because it promises computing speeds far faster than today's fastest systems. While the math problem solved by the company's California quantum lab does not have commercial applications, Google hopes quantum computers will one day solve problems in medicine, battery chemistry and artificial intelligence that are currently out of reach.

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Charting 2024's chaos

Data: Google Trends. Chart: Jared Whalen/Axios This year's epic, never-ending news cycles were driven by stunning levels of political violence and uncertainty — plus the Olympics, Axios' Noah Bressner writes from our annual analysis of Google Trends data. Why it matters: Even in a wild election year, America's short attention span for news led to dramatic ups and downs in search trends (charted above) as the media pivoted from one major story to the next. The big picture: The Paris Games were the news event that saw the largest spike in interest compared to others analyzed by Axios. The election itself — peaking on Nov. 5 — and the Pennsylvania assassination attempt targeting Donald Trump were runners-up. On the lighter side, the next two biggest peaks were for the total solar eclipse in April and Mike Tyson's return to boxing against YouTuber Jake Paul. ? Zoom in: Only a small handful of people and news events held public attention over long periods. Trump, of course, was one of them. He became the first former president convicted of felony crimes, survived two assassination attempts and was the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades. Attention on President Biden shot up after his catastrophic debate performance in June and peaked around July 21, when he dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Harris. Elon Musk attracted search interest all year. But it boomed in October and early November as he unleashed unprecedented sums of cash to get Trump elected and personally campaigned in Pennsylvania. (More on Musk in Item 3.) ? Among celebrities and athletes, Taylor Swift once again commanded an outsize share of attention. The deaths of O.J. Simpson and former One Direction singer Liam Payne made them two of the most searched people of the year.

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Google signs deal with AP to deliver up-to-date news through its Gemini AI chatbot

Google says its artificial intelligence chatbot Gemini will deliver up-to-date news from The Associated Press in the tech giant’s first such deal with a news publisher.

https://apnews.com/article/google-gemini-ai-associated-press-ap-0b57bcf8c80dd406daa9ba916adacfaf?

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Google

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened to sue Google over the switch from the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America," saying the tech company overstepped when it changed the name of the entire body of water on Google Maps — including areas under Mexican and Cuban jurisdiction. People in Mexico continue to see the area listed as the Gulf of Mexico. All other countries see both names. Sheinbaum previously said a civil suit could be on the table if the tech giant does not correct what she called an "inaccurate designation." She noted that Mexico would wait for Google's response before moving forward with legal action.

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Google to buy cybersecurity firm Wiz for $32 billion

Google on Tuesday agreed to acquire cloud security firm Wiz for $32 billion in cash.

https://www.axios.com/2025/03/18/google-wiz-cybersecurity?

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Google is an online advertising monopoly, judge rules

Google has illegally built “monopoly power” with its web advertising business, a federal judge in Virginia has ruled, siding with the Justice Department in a landmark case against the tech giant that could reshape the basic economics of running a modern website.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/tech/google-adtech-trial-decision/index.html?