Alphabet’s Google is making a last-ditch effort in court to avoid a breakup of its advertising technology empire, with closing arguments set for Friday before U.S. District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia. The Department of Justice and a coalition of states are pressing for Google to sell its AdX exchange, where online publishers pay a 20% fee to participate in real-time ad auctions, following Brinkema’s April ruling that Google holds two illegal ad tech monopolies.
During an 11-day trial that began in September, DOJ attorneys argued that only a forced sale would prevent Google from continuing to develop practices that could suppress competition. Google countered, warning that splitting the business would be technically complex, create a protracted transition, and ultimately hurt advertisers and publishers. The court proceedings mark the conclusion of evidentiary hearings in Google’s long-running legal battle over its dominance in online advertising and search, Reuters reported.
Despite the looming threat, Google plans to appeal Brinkema’s monopoly ruling and has indicated it will challenge a separate Washington-based ruling that found it holds illegal monopolies in online search and related advertising. That case stopped short of ordering a forced sale of Google’s Chrome browser but required the company to share data with competitors. The broader context is a U.S. government crackdown on Big Tech monopolies that began under President Donald Trump’s first term, with similar antitrust cases still pending against Meta, Amazon, and Apple.
Friday’s final plea could determine whether Google escapes structural remedies or faces a significant reorganization of its lucrative ad technology business, though appeals could extend the dispute for years.
