The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has initiated a trial aimed at preventing Google from using its AI products to maintain its dominance in online search.

The proceedings began on April 21, 2025 and may have significant implications for the internet industry.

The DOJ is advocating for measures that include requiring Google to divest its Chrome browser and terminate exclusive agreements with device manufacturers that make Google the default search engine.

These proposals are part of a larger effort to enhance competition in the search market. Prosecutors have compared this case to historic antitrust actions against AT&T and Standard Oil.

🔗 Source: Reuters

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Historic antitrust parallels show familiar patterns of industry transformation

The Google case follows a pattern established by landmark antitrust actions against dominant companies that fundamentally reshaped their industries.

When AT&T faced antitrust action in 1974, it controlled nearly all telecommunications in America, leading to its breakup into seven regional companies in 1982, an outcome that dramatically opened the market to competition1.

Similarly, Standard Oil’s 1911 breakup into 34 separate companies created multiple competitors in the oil industry and established crucial antitrust precedents that continue influencing cases today1.

Microsoft’s antitrust battle in the 1990s, specifically targeting how it bundled Internet Explorer with Windows, created space for new companies like Google to emerge and thrive in the first place2.

The DOJ’s attempt to force Google to sell Chrome reflects historical remedies, particularly the structural separation approach used against AT&T, suggesting regulators see similar patterns of entrenched monopoly power requiring dramatic intervention3.

2️⃣ Market dominance metrics reveal the scale of Google’s search control

Google’s position in search is exceptionally powerful, with current global market share ranging from approximately 78% on desktop to nearly 90% across all devices45.

This dominance has remained remarkably stable over decades despite significant technological changes, though recent data shows a slight decline to 89.6% by early 2025, the first time below 90% since 20156.

For comparison, Bing, Google’s largest traditional competitor, holds just 4% of the global search market across all devices despite significant investment from Microsoft5.