If you're one of the hundreds of millions who use Google Chrome every single day, you might not realise how close your favourite web browser was to being sold to a new owner, like AI upstart Perplexity.
However, that threat vanished earlier this week when a US federal judge rejected government prosecutors' attempt to break up Google's sprawling tech empire.
For context, Chrome commands a global audience of 3.5 billion people, which is over 40% of the Earth's entire population. The US government has argued that Google and its parent company, Alphabet, should be broken up to prevent future antitrust laws from being broken.
For milions of Chrome users worldwide, the legal proceedings threatened to reshape how you access the internet — potentially ending Google's integrated control over both the browser and search experience.
The ruling sent parent company Alphabet's shares soaring by 8%, immediately adding some $206 billion (roughly £156bn) to the US company's market valuation. The spike represents one of the biggest single-day gains for a technology firm this year, although it's still trails Meta and Microsoft's performance in the last eight months.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai previously cautioned that selling Chrome would create "many unintended consequences," including cybersecurity risks.
| GETTY IMAGESWhat happens now? You'll still be able to use Google Chrome just as before, but this seismic ruling does mean some changes about how Google will be able to operate.
The US technology firm retains control of both Chrome and Android, but it will be forced open up some of its treasure trove of search data to competitors. This could help rivals build alternatives to the
Google will also be barred from certain exclusive deals with device makers, Judge Amit Mehta ruled.
Prosecutors demonstrated how Google had spent billions of dollars on deals with device makers like Samsung and Apple to ensure its search engine was the default option on their products, allowing it to capture as much as 90% of the US search market.
Judge Mehta ruled: "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."
The US federal judge ordered Google to share parts of its search index, knowledge graph and advertising data with rivals on fair terms. You'll also see new choice screens when setting up a new device, giving you the option to switch search engines, rather than being automatically directed to Google. This already happens in Europe.
The judge's 226-page decision means you won't see any disruption to how you access Google services on your devices.
While Google can no longer strike exclusive deals that shut out competitors, it will be allowed to pay companies, including Apple, to be the default search option – something that costs Google over $26 billion (£19.3bn) annually.
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It seems Judge Amit Mehta ruled out more radical steps, like forcing Google to spin off its Chrome web browser, because of ChatGPT and other AI tools that are changing how people search online.
Judge Mehta acknowledged these "breakthroughs in artificial intelligence" are shaking up Google's long-held position as the internet's primary gateway. In the ruling, he noted that the case had evolved from addressing traditional search engines to ensuring "Google's dominance in search does not carry over into the GenAI space."