So, after half a decade of antitrust drama, subpoenas, and enough courtroom paperwork to bury a startup, the verdict is in: Google keeps its toys.
Judge Amit Mehta’s ruling lets Google hold onto its Android operating system, Chrome browser, and that eye-watering $20B annual deal with Apple that keeps Google as your iPhone’s default search engine. And let me tell you, Wall Street’s thrilled—Alphabet stock shot up 7.2%, while Apple snagged a 3% boost.
But don’t let those market fireworks fool you. This ruling came with a twist sharp enough to make Big Tech sweat: Google now has to share its search data with rivals —well, more specifically, with qualified competitors.
Yep, the treasure chest of insights that built its empire is being cracked open—and that’s a huge win for competitors. Mehta even called AI search tools “better placed to compete with Google than any search engine developer has been in decades.”
Translation: AI-powered challengers like OpenAI and Perplexity just got the ultimate cheat code.
And it doesn’t stop there, the court also banned those exclusive deals that kept rival search engines off phones and carriers, finally giving competitors a shot at screen time.
Naturally, Google isn’t thrilled. They’re waving the privacy flag, claiming user safety could be at risk, and preparing an appeal that could drag all the way to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, regulators are circling Meta, Amazon, and Apple, making it clear Big Tech’s free-pass era is over.
💡 Our Take:
This isn’t a full takedown, but it’s a huge crack in Google’s armor. Sure, the company keeps its ecosystem intact (for now), but forcing data sharing is a game-changer. It’s like giving every rival a cheat code while tossing fuel on the AI fire—and you can bet OpenAI and the rest are already plotting their next glow-ups.
Bottom line: this ruling could accelerate the next big shift in how we explore the web. Google walks away “winning,” but the playing field just got a lot less tilted. Keep your popcorn handy folks—the AI-powered search wars are officially in season.
You can find the details of the drama here.
