Breaking up Google is hard to do

A federal judge is actively considering breaking up Google after a landmark ruling last week that the tech giant has illegally abused its search monopoly.  A court-ordered Google breakup would be the U.S.'s most consequential antitrust action in decades—but figuring out how to split up the company could prove daunting. Judge Amit Mehta's decision in a case first brought by the Department of Justice in 2020 held that Google's massive $26 billion payments to competitors, chiefly Apple, violate antitrust laws and inhibit consumer choice and innovation. Now the court must choose a remedy. That could mean new rules requiring Google to share data or change other practices. It could also mean a court-ordered split of the company. However, American courts are reluctant to break up successful companies, and behavioral remedies are more likely than a move to carve up Google into new pieces.