The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly considering forcing parent company Alphabet to shed at least one of its units. Among the possibilities being explored following a judge’s ruling that Google violated antitrust laws, according to Bloomberg:
- Chrome, Google’s web browser. This one seems highly unlikely – web browsers aren’t exactly a lucrative business model.
- Android, Google’s operating system.
- Google Ads, the money-printing machine that generates billions of search and advertising dollars every quarter. (Although Bloomberg called it “AdWords.” They clearly didn’t get the memo that AdWords ceased to exist in 2018).
Why we care. While a complete breakup of Alphabet’s Google seems unlikely (Microsoft ultimately avoided a similar fate nearly 25 years ago despite a similar antitrust ruling), nothing is impossible. If Google is broken up, it will undoubtedly have a big impact on digital marketing. The big question for marketers will be how much it will impact SEO and ad strategies, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
Other options. The U.S. is also considering some “less severe options”:
- Prohibiting Google from forging default search agreements, like the $19 billion it paid Apple.
- Forcing Google to share more data with competitors.
- Somehow limiting Google from gaining an “unfair advantage in AI products.”
What about YouTube? One Alphabet unit not mentioned in the report was YouTube. This seems a bit surprising considering the video-sharing platform brought in $31.51 billion in advertising in 2023.
Dig deeper: What the Google antitrust ruling could mean for advertisers
About the author
Danny Goodwin is Editorial Director of Search Engine Land & Search Marketing Expo – SMX. He joined Search Engine Land in 2022 as Senior Editor. In addition to reporting on the latest search marketing news, he manages Search Engine Land’s SME (Subject Matter Expert) program. He also helps program U.S. SMX events.
Goodwin has been editing and writing about the latest developments and trends in search and digital marketing since 2007. He previously was Executive Editor of Search Engine Journal (from 2017 to 2022), managing editor of Momentology (from 2014-2016) and editor of Search Engine Watch (from 2007 to 2014). He has spoken at many major search conferences and virtual events, and has been sourced for his expertise by a wide range of publications and podcasts.
