CNN —
AT&T was dismantled into Baby Bells forty years ago, and now the US government is considering breaking up another major monopoly, Google. The US Department of Justice is contemplating separating Google’s core businesses, including search, Android, Chrome, and the Google Play app store.
The government believes this move will prevent Google from favoring its search business using products like Chrome, Play, and Android over competitors. However, Google argues that such a breakup could harm the customer experience, innovation in AI, and privacy.
The Justice Department’s decision follows a federal judge’s ruling that Google violated antitrust laws with its search business, making it the most significant antitrust case since Microsoft’s battle in the 2000s. Google plans to appeal the decision and remain committed to providing user-friendly products.
The potential breakup of Google could have far-reaching implications for the tech industry and set the stage for similar actions against other tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Ticketmaster.