DOJ Puts the Death Sentence on Google - with Chrome Being the Victim...

Well everyone and their mom would agree that Google has been through the ringer this year… but now with the DOJ’s latest idea, the company may just be facing a full on death sentence. In short, the DOJ is reportedly asking a federal judge to force Alphabet (Google’s parent company) to sell off Chrome. Why? Well, it turns out monopolizing the search market isn’t exactly legal, especially with Chrome playing a massive role in keeping Google’s iron grip on the internet.

(Source: The Guardian) 

Now for those just waking up, this is wild so ICYMI: Judge Amit Mehta already ruled back in August that Google’s search practices violated antitrust laws. And now the DOJ wants to go all in, proposing a breakup that would make even the most amicable divorce seem clean.

According to Bloomberg, the DOJ’s got a laundry list of “suggestions” for our friends at Google, starting with a browser-ectomy for Chrome. Because apparently, owning the world’s most-used browser (with a juicy 61% market share in the US) and controlling search is a little too much power for one tech giant.

(Source: Giphy) 

Which is why all eyes are on Chrome. It’s the golden gateway that most of us interact with on Google Search. For instance,  the DOJ says Google’s been using it to cross-promote its other products like Search, Android, and Google Play. In other words, Google isn't just dominating search; it's building a walled garden where all roads lead to… well, Google.

Their grand solution? Sell-off Chrome LOL. Like as if it’s no big deal, the DOJ is chewing on the thought of Google casually ditching the world’s most popular browser. But, it gets even better. The DOJ also wants Google to separate Android from Search and Play while they’re at it. Now the good news with this is they aren’t asking Google to sell Android. They just want them to stop bundling everything together like a biggie bag at Wendy’s (my absolute fave by the way). 

(Source: Bloomberg) 

In addition to this clusterf**k, the DOJ also wants Google to share more data with advertisers (because apparently, Google doesn’t sell enough of our souls already?) and give them more control over where their ads show up. They’re also pushing for websites to have more say in whether their content can be used by Google’s AI products, likely to stop Google from gobbling up the entire internet and spitting it back out as AI-generated “overviews.”

And then, as we all know, there’s the pièce de résistance: a ban on the exclusive contracts where Google pays companies like Apple billions to be the default search engine to… you guessed it… chrome, baby. 

(Source: Giphy) 

Naturally Google as a whole is punching air. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s VP of Regulatory Affairs, didn’t mince words, calling the DOJ’s plan a “radical agenda” that’s “way beyond the legal issues in this case.” Google's argument is that breaking up Chrome or Android would basically break the internet (and raise prices for consumers, because that’s always the go-to defense). Google also claims it’s invested billions into Chrome and Android, and prying them apart would wreak havoc on the delicate tech ecosystem we all depend on. 

And I for one, have to agree. I use Chrome for everything. I don’t want some dipstick tech company making Chrome a “has been” that’s equivalent to DuckDuckGo…or… gasp… Bing. (To be fair, DuckDuckGo isn’t bad, it’s just well, not something I’m used to like Chrome - Bing on the other hand? Atrocious). 

(Source: Cheezburger) 

In reality though, Google can beg on behalf of it’s consumers all it wants, but let’s be real–they could give two sh*it's about you or I. What they are really worried about is losing the key pathways that funnel us into their search engine, their ads, their everything. And if Chrome gets ripped away? It’s game over for their seamless, all-Google-all-the-time experience (a.k.a. Money go poof). 

(Source: Giphy) 

Now given all this, the DOJ is expected to officially drop their breakup plans on Wednesday, and all eyes will be on Judge Mehta. If he greenlights this, it’ll be one of the boldest moves Washington has made against Big Tech since… well, since they failed to break up Microsoft 20 years ago. But again, if Google has anything to say about it (and let’s be real, they do), this fight is far from over. Meaning, expect appeals. Lots of them.

As always, you know what to do: Keep an eye on Google and place your bets accordingly. As always, stay safe and stay frosty friends! Until next time…

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Stocks.News holds positions in Google and Microsoft as mentioned in the article.