Alphabet(US:GOOGL) Zhi Tong Cai Jing·2025-08-20 01:35Group 1: Core Issues - Google faces significant antitrust challenges, with a U.S. judge ruling in 2024 that it illegally monopolized the search engine market, potentially leading to the forced divestiture of its Chrome browser business [1][2][3] - The U.S. government is pushing for Google to sell its Chrome business and license its search data to competitors, marking the largest forced breakup of a U.S. company since AT&T in 1984 [1][4] Group 2: Allegations Against Google - The U.S. Department of Justice and state attorneys general allege that Google controls nearly 90% of online search queries and has paid billions to maintain its monopoly through exclusive agreements with tech companies and smartphone manufacturers [2][3] - Judge Amit Mehta's ruling indicates that Google's payments, totaling $26 billion, effectively blocked competitors from succeeding in the search engine market [2][3] Group 3: Proposed Remedies - The DOJ and states propose that Google be required to sell its Chrome browser and eliminate exclusive agreements that prevent competition, allowing smartphone manufacturers to present users with a "choose search engine" option [4] - Google may also be mandated to license its search data to potential competitors to help them improve their products [4] Group 4: Google's Response - Google plans to appeal the ruling regarding its illegal monopoly and any potential divestiture of the Chrome business, which could delay the implementation of remedies for months or even years [5][6] - The company argues that the proposed breakup would harm user privacy and security, hinder its AI investments, and negatively impact companies like Mozilla that rely on Google's payments [6] Group 5: AI Business Expansion - Google's AI applications are expanding significantly, leveraging its near-monopoly in search, with its Gemini AI ecosystem reaching over 450 million monthly active users and processing over 980 trillion tokens monthly [7] - The growth in AI applications is supported by Google's robust infrastructure, ensuring a competitive edge in the AI market [7] Group 6: Understanding Antitrust Law - Antitrust laws aim to protect competition in business, and while achieving a dominant market position is not illegal, using predatory practices to maintain that position is [8] - Google's actions have been deemed violations of antitrust laws, leading to the current legal challenges it faces [8]