What will happen to Google given the ruling it is an illegal search monopoly?

**MichaelCorfman** · 14 August 2024, 3:46 pm

On Monday, the 5th of August 2024, US federal judge Amit Mehta found that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in search and advertising markets. As Mehta wrote in his 277-page ruling, “After having carefully considered and weighed the witness testimony and evidence, the court reaches the following conclusion: Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.”

Here is a news story about that finding:

Google illegally maintains monopoly over internet search, judge rules

One fact that played a role in the decision was the revelation that Google pays Apple $20 million annual for default search status on iPhones. Last November I posted the following poll on that topic:

Should Google be able to pay to be the default search engine?

The next step in the case will be to determine remedies. There are many possibilities, as outlined in the following news articles:

Google’s illegal search monopoly: Industry reactions, implications
U.S. Said to Consider a Breakup of Google to Address Search Monopoly
Report: U.S. considering forcing a Google breakup

For this week’s poll I ask what you think will happen to Google as a result of the monopoly finding, listing some of the possibilities mentioned in the above articles. Choose as many of the possibilities as you like.

Besides voting in the poll, I ask you to share your thoughts on the case and what actions you think are appropriate.

Michael

**wonderpunter** · 15 August 2024, 11:33 am

I think thye will go for the ads, it's the glue that holds everything else together and pretty much influences everything else.

**Madz** · 16 August 2024, 7:35 am

I believe Google will just end up paying off a few more senators. Although I don’t closely follow U.S. politics—or politics in any other country, for that matter—it seems that for the wealthy, getting what you want is as simple as making a few well-placed "donations" to those in power. The U.S. system appears quite corrupt in this sense, where influence can be easily bought without much accountability.

I see a series of drawn-out appeals, during which the right people in power—or those aspiring to be in power—will receive the necessary donations to make the issue disappear.

In the long run, I think Google will continue to undermine itself by degrading the quality of search results, something they’re already doing by prioritising ads. As AI continues to improve and alternatives like ChatGPT voice become more advanced, Google’s relevance will diminish, eventually reducing it to a second or even third choice for users.

**NoDepositCasinos** · 18 August 2024, 7:58 pm

Originally Posted by Madz

I believe Google will just end up paying off a few more senators. Although I don’t closely follow U.S. politics—or politics in any other country, for that matter—it seems that for the wealthy, getting what you want is as simple as making a few well-placed "donations" to those in power. The U.S. system appears quite corrupt in this sense, where influence can be easily bought without much accountability.

I see a series of drawn-out appeals, during which the right people in power—or those aspiring to be in power—will receive the necessary donations to make the issue disappear.

In the long run, I think Google will continue to undermine itself by degrading the quality of search results, something they’re already doing by prioritising ads. As AI continues to improve and alternatives like ChatGPT voice become more advanced, Google’s relevance will diminish, eventually reducing it to a second or even third choice for users.

Agreed. I believe this won't have any significant long-term consequences. They'll make a public statement announcing changes for a more balanced market or something that sounds good on paper, and the rest will be resolved with public or private "donations." Like Madz, I think what will ultimately harm Google is its poor performance, both from bad internal decisions and in comparison to emerging alternatives that are gaining traction.

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