Google could break-up soon?

Many view Google primarily as a search engine company, its core strength actually lies in advertising—it’s the largest ad business in the world. That’s why the ongoing antitrust case targeting Google’s advertising technology may ultimately have a broader impact than earlier legal actions involving its search engine or mobile platforms. A recent court ruling went against Google, and both sides are now preparing to propose remedies in a follow-up trial scheduled for later this year.

At a hearing today, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema set the trial date for September 22. Like in the prior search-related lawsuit, the Department of Justice (DOJ) aims to dismantle certain parts of Google’s operations to restore competitive balance. The DOJ wants Google to divest two key segments of its advertising ecosystem: the ad exchange platform, which facilitates global bidding for ad placements, and the publisher ad server, a tool used by websites to manage and display ads.

Though the court sided with the DOJ on liability, it didn’t support claims that Google’s past acquisitions of ad networks like DoubleClick and Admeld harmed market competition—meaning those assets will remain with Google for now.

The DOJ's proposed remedy would roll out in stages, starting with a mandate that Google share real-time bidding data with external partners. Google opposes this, arguing it would require building entirely new systems and releasing them as open-source tools—something it deems impractical.

The second phase of the remedy involves Google divesting its ad exchange and publisher server platforms—an idea the company also resists.

According to Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's VP of regulatory affairs, "The DOJ's push to force divestitures far exceeds what the court found, lacks legal support, and would ultimately hurt advertisers and publishers."

In its defense, Google is likely to argue that the DOJ's remedy is excessive and unrealistic, pointing out that few entities could afford or operate these massive platforms. Estimates last year valued Google’s ad business at around $95 billion—potentially too large to break apart. Still, Google had similar doubts about the sale of Chrome, and during the search-related trial, multiple companies expressed interest in acquiring the browser.