US Judge Rejects Forced Sale of Google Ad Tech Business
7 sources across 5 countries
Who reported this
- The Guardian
- Reuters
- Ars Technica
- Associated Press
- Telex
- Business Day
- El Pais
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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A US federal judge has ruled that Google will not be forced to sell its online advertising exchange, AdX, despite a previous ruling that the company held illegal monopolies in the ad tech market. Judge Leonie Brinkema of Alexandria, Virginia, rejected the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and a coalition of states' request for the divestiture, opting instead for behavioral remedies to address the company's anticompetitive conduct. The full details of these court ordered changes to Google's business practices remain sealed for 14 days to allow for redactions of confidential information.
The case began in 2023 when the DOJ and several states sued Google over its dominance in advertising technology. In April 2025, Judge Brinkema ruled that Google had illegally locked publishers into using its exchange and maintained illegal monopolies on servers that host publisher ads. The DOJ argued that Google could not be trusted to run the exchange given its past behavior. Google countered that a forced sale would be technically difficult and would harm customers during a painful transition.
Financial data from 2020 cited in court documents indicates that Ad Manager represented 4.1 percent of Google's overall revenue and 1.5 percent of its operating profit. While the ad exchange is a relatively small part of Google's total business, the ruling is seen as a significant legal victory for the company. Google executive Lee Anne Mulholland stated the company was pleased the court rejected the proposal to break apart tools that help small businesses grow. The DOJ stated it was pleased the court ordered substantial relief and is evaluating next steps.
This decision marks the third consecutive time US antitrust enforcers have failed to secure a breakup of a Big Tech firm. Previous rejected attempts include the Federal Trade Commission's bid to force Meta to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, and a separate effort to force Google to sell the Chrome browser. Cases against Amazon and Apple are not expected to go to trial until 2027 at the earliest.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- These outlets emphasized the symbolic victory for Google and questioned whether courts are capable of checking the power of the tech industry.
- Centre
- These outlets focused on the legal specifics and the broader trend of Big Tech firms successfully resisting divestiture.
- Centre-right
- This outlet highlighted the failure of government enforcers and provided detailed financial context regarding the impact on Google's revenue.
Sources
- Centre Ars Technica: US court rules Google will not have to sell ad exchange after losing antitrust case
- Centre Associated Press: Judge orders changes to Google’s digital ads business but spares it from a breakup - AP News
- Centre-right Business Day: Google escapes breakup as US judge rejects forced sale of AdX
- Centre-left El Pais: Victory for Google in the courts: the giant avoids the partition of its main business
- Centre Reuters: Google escapes ad tech breakup in third Big Tech antitrust loss for US - Reuters
- Centre Telex: According to a fresh court ruling, Google cannot be forced to separate its online advertising business unit
- Centre-left The Guardian: Google defeats US justice department bid to force ad tech sale
100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.