According to the latest court filings from the U.S. Department of Justice, the demand for Google to divest its Chrome web browser remains. This proposal was initially put forth by then-President Biden last year, a plan the DOJ continued to pursue during Trump's second term. However, the DOJ no longer seeks to force Google to divest all its artificial intelligence investments, including the billions of dollars invested in Anthropic.
In court documents, the DOJ stated, "Google's illegal conduct has created an economic behemoth that severely impacts the market, ensuring Google wins regardless." The filing was signed by current Acting Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust Omeed Assefi. The Trump-appointed head of antitrust is still awaiting confirmation.
Therefore, the DOJ stated that the core proposal remains unchanged, including the demand to divest the Chrome browser and prohibit search-related payments with distribution partners. Regarding AI, the DOJ stated that it no longer requires Google to divest its AI investments, but is content with advance notice of future investments. Furthermore, regarding the divestment of Android, the DOJ decided to leave this future decision to the court, to be judged based on market competition.
This proposal follows an antitrust lawsuit filed by the DOJ alongside 38 state attorneys general, where Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google engaged in illegal conduct to maintain its online search monopoly. Google has said it will appeal Mehta's ruling, but simultaneously offered an alternative, stating it could address the judge's concerns by providing more flexibility to its partners.
A Google spokesperson told Reuters that the DOJ's "sweeping proposal goes far beyond the court's ruling and could harm American consumers, the economy, and national security." Judge Mehta is scheduled to hear arguments from both Google and the DOJ in April.
Key Points:
🌐 The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding Google divest its Chrome browser, aiming to curb Google's market dominance.
🤖 It no longer mandates that Google divest all artificial intelligence investments; only advance notice of future investments is required.
⚖️ The judge will hear arguments from Google and the DOJ in April, further determining the future market competition landscape.
