A U.S. judge has ruled that Google illegally monopolized the search engine market by spending billions of dollars to suppress competition and hinder innovation. This landmark decision, announced on Monday, marks a significant victory for U.S. authorities in their efforts to challenge the dominance of Big Tech, which has faced criticism from both sides of the political aisle.
In a 277-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta concluded, “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.” The ruling highlighted Google’s overwhelming control of the search market, with a market share of 89.2% for general search services, rising to 94.9% on mobile devices.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised the decision as “a historic win for the American people,” emphasizing that “no company—no matter how large or influential—is above the law.”
The ruling is a major blow to Google and its parent company, Alphabet, which argued that its dominance was a result of consumer preference for its search engine. Google’s search engine handles an estimated 8.5 billion queries daily worldwide, nearly double its volume from 12 years ago, according to a recent study by investment firm BOND.
Kent Walker, Google’s global affairs president, announced the company’s intention to appeal the ruling, pointing out that Judge Mehta had acknowledged Google as the best search engine in the industry. “Given this, and the fact that people are increasingly seeking information in diverse ways, we plan to appeal,” Walker said.
The ruling sets the stage for a second trial to determine possible remedies, which could include the breakup of Alphabet, potentially reshaping the online advertising landscape that Google has dominated for years.
This decision is the first major outcome in a series of antitrust cases targeting Big Tech, including Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram), Amazon, and Apple. The Google case, initiated by the Trump administration, went to trial from September to November last year. Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, noted that the case’s continuation across administrations demonstrates strong bipartisan support for antitrust enforcement.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
