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Google defeats U.S. bid to force ad tech sale
CNBC • • general
Key Points:
- A U.S. judge in Virginia rejected the Department of Justice's attempt to force Google to sell its online advertising exchange (AdX), marking a significant legal win for Alphabet's Google amid antitrust scrutiny.
- The ruling follows a 2025 decision that found Google holds illegal monopolies in ad servers and exchanges, but the judge opted for behavioral remedies rather than breaking up the company.
- The DOJ argued Google cannot be trusted to operate AdX fairly due to past anticompetitive conduct, while Google warned that a forced sale would be technically complex and harmful to customers.
- This is the third consecutive rejection of U.S. antitrust enforcers' efforts to break up Big Tech, raising questions about the courts' ability to regulate the growing power of major technology firms.
- Other major antitrust cases against companies like Meta, Amazon, and Apple face similar legal challenges and delays, with trials for some not expected until 2027 or later.
