Google’s advertising technology empire is facing a potential dismantling as a federal judge weighs whether to force the tech giant to sell off key business units—a move that would mark the first major break-up of a Big Tech company in the modern internet era and threaten a cornerstone of its $3.64 trillion business. Judge Leonie Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia heard three hours of closing arguments Friday on remedies for Google’s illegal ad tech monopoly, with the Justice Department demanding the forced sale of the company’s AdX exchange and other aggressive measures. The stakes are enormous: Google processes 8.2 million ad space requests every second and collects a 20% fee from publishers, according to The New York Times, making advertising technology critical to funding its dominance across search, video, and artificial intelligence. But Judge Brinkema signaled deep concerns about timing. With Google certain to appeal and the case potentially dragging on for years, she questioned whether behavioral changes that could take effect quickly might be more practical than a lengthy breakup process, Reuters reported.
DOJ demands ‘root and branch’ overhaul of Google’s ad business
The government wants Google to spin off technology that runs transactions between ad buyers and sellers, and share data with competitors. DOJ attorney Matthew Huppert argued that nothing short of a forced sale would restore competition, telling the court the remedy “needs to eradicate Google’s illegally acquired monopolies root and branch,” Reuters reported. Google receives 8.2 million requests to sell ad space every second and takes a 20% fee from publishers using its ad exchange, according to The New York Times. The government claims the company used its dominance to extract larger cuts from these transactions. Google’s lead attorney Karen Dunn countered that a breakup would be “extreme” and technically difficult, causing a painful transition for customers. She proposed behavioral changes instead, arguing these could take effect within 12-15 months compared to years for a divestiture, The New York Times reported.
Judge weighs fast action as appeal looms over ad tech case
Judge Brinkema, who ruled in April that Google holds two illegal ad tech monopolies, said her decision would likely come next year. She emphasized that “time is of the essence,” particularly given the fast-moving nature of the industry and Google’s certain appeal. The case could disrupt a crucial part of Google’s $3.64 trillion business. If ordered, it would be the first forced break-up of a tech giant since the government’s campaign to rein in Big Tech began during President Trump’s first term. Google recently avoided a similar fate in a separate search monopoly case, where a judge stopped short of forcing the sale of its Chrome browser.
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