Bloomberg Intelligence Google Dodges Chrome Sale in Antitrust Case, Must Share Data
Sep 3, 2025
Mark Gurman, Managing Editor for Global Consumer Technology at Bloomberg News, shares insights on Google's recent antitrust case, revealing how a judge's ruling allows Google to keep its Chrome browser despite the ongoing scrutiny. He also delves into Apple's challenges as they lose their lead AI researcher to Meta, examining the potential impact on their competitive edge. The discussion further highlights the regulatory landscape's shifting dynamics and its implications for innovation in Silicon Valley.
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Court Balances Remedies Without Breaking Chrome
- The judge rejected forcing Google to divest Chrome but required data sharing and banned exclusive agreements to lower barriers for competitors.
- Allowing paid default search slots for one year conflicts with the court's earlier finding that defaults were exclusionary.
Illegal Conduct Permitted Temporarily
- Jennifer Rie highlights a tension: the court found default agreements exclusionary but still allowed paid defaults to continue short-term.
- That creates a paradox where conduct deemed illegal persists under a temporary remedy window.
Caution Shapes Tech Remedies
- The judge was cautious about heavy-handed remedies in tech because courts risk disrupting innovation and markets judges don't fully grasp.
- Jennifer Rie warns that different fact patterns mean this ruling won't broadly prevent divestitures in other cases.