Judge Mehta to Google: Share search data – but keep Chrome

Google avoids the harshest penalty

In a landmark antitrust ruling, U.S. Judge Amit P. Mehta decided that Google must share parts of its search index with “qualified competitors.” However, the judge rejected the government’s demand that Google be forced to sell its Chrome browser.

The U.S. government had sought a more drastic intervention, but Mehta emphasized that the court had to show humility since future technologies and business models remain unpredictable.

Deals and billion-dollar payments under pressure

Google is known for paying enormous sums—$26.3 billion in 2021 alone—to remain the default search engine on browsers like Safari and Firefox. The ruling ends exclusive agreements but still allows payments for prominent placement, as long as no competitors are excluded.

This could open small opportunities for rivals like DuckDuckGo. Still, CEO Gabriel Weinberg called the ruling a “nothingburger,” arguing that the data Google must now share is unlikely to shift the balance of power.

Artificial intelligence changed the game

A crucial factor in the case was the explosive growth of generative AI. Mehta pointed out that new players like OpenAI and Anthropic already challenge Google’s dominance by offering search-like answers in chatbot form.

This shifted the court’s role from breaking up monopolies to ensuring future competitors are not locked out of the market.

A boisterous starting point for the future

Although the verdict may seem mild, it sends a signal to all of Silicon Valley: The days when tech giants could quietly cement their position through exclusive contracts are over.

Antitrust experts remind us that the 2001 Microsoft ruling was also criticized as weak, yet it opened the door to new players—including Google itself. Perhaps this ruling will have a similar effect, especially if AI development continues at the same pace.

Our team may have used AI to assist in the creation of this content, which has been reviewed by our editors.