Google wins in court as Chrome and Android are safe from a forced sale

For quite some time now, the massive Department of Justice antitrust case against Google has loomed over the tech world, with the potential for seismic, landscape-altering changes. One of the most extreme remedies proposed by the DOJ was the forced sale (or divestiture) of Google’s most critical products – including the Chrome browser.

Yesterday, Google finally received a decision on that front. In a huge ruling, DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta has laid out the remedies Google must undertake, and in what feels like a massive sigh of relief for the future of Chrome and Android as we know them, he has ruled that Google will NOT be forced to sell Chrome or Android.

The threat of divestiture is over (for now)

This is, without a doubt, the biggest possible win for Google in this phase of the trial. The judge’s 230-page ruling concluded that forcing Google to sell Chrome would be a “poor fit for this case,” calling the idea “incredibly messy and highly risky.” He argued that since Chrome is not a standalone business and relies so heavily on Google’s infrastructure, a sale would likely lead to “substantial product degradation and a loss of consumer welfare.”

In another major win for the company, Judge Mehta also ruled that Google can continue to make payments to distribution partners like Apple and Mozilla to have Google Search as the default on their devices and browsers.

So, what does Google have to do?

While Google avoided the more overreaching penalties, the ruling is not without consequences. The company will be subject to some new rules. Most notably, Google will be barred from making certain types of exclusive deals for the distribution of its search and AI assistant products that could unfairly cut off rivals.

Additionally, Google will be required to share some of its valuable search data with competitors. Qualified rivals will be able to purchase a one-time “snapshot” of a variety of search data at marginal cost, a move designed to help them jumpstart their ability to compete in the search market.

This is a landmark ruling, and the legal battle is far from over, with appeals likely from both sides. But for today, the biggest headline is what didn’t happen. The most disruptive, “break up Big Tech” remedies were rejected. For those of us who use and enjoy the deeply integrated ecosystems of Chrome and Android, that is very good news.