The biggest tech monopoly trial in decades has just wrapped up. A U.S. court ruled last year that Google had violated antitrust law by illegally maintaining its dominance in search. Yesterday, the judge finally handed down the remedies. And the question is: Google survives the trial… but has anything actually changed?
On paper, yes. Google is banned from making billion-dollar exclusive search deals - like paying Apple to be the preset option. It must also share parts of its search index and user interaction data with rivals. That’s an attempt to give Bing, DuckDuckGo - even AI players like ChatGPT and Perplexity - a fighting chance.
But the big penalties didn’t happen. Google keeps Chrome. It keeps Android. It can still pay for distribution - just not on an exclusive basis. And Alphabet’s stock jumped eight percent after the ruling.
If this is punishment, why does it look like reward?
Part of the answer lies in the judge’s caution. He argued that forcing Google to sell off parts or banning payments outright would “jolt the system” and even “cripple” distribution partners like Apple or Samsung who rely on Google’s money.
Meanwhile, Google pointed to AI rivals like OpenAI and Perplexity as proof it’s no longer a monopoly - even though Cloudflare’s data shows it still commands nearly 90% of global search.
For now, the only change is small cracks opening - but the empire remains. Google also plans to appeal, which means real change could take years.
The trial may be over, but the fight for the future of search - and who controls the gateway to the internet - is just beginning.
For marketers, the message is simple: Google is still the gatekeeper. For now, keep focusing there - that’s where the traffic is. But watch the cracks. If rivals wedge their way in, the search landscape could shift in ways we’ve never seen.
And while next month’s ads trial will dominate headlines, for organic marketers this ruling is the one that matters.
