Judge Mehta oversaw closing arguments in a landmark U.S. antitrust case against Google, which could reshape the technology industry. The Justice Department has accused Google of illegally maintaining a monopoly in online search, a claim that Google denies. Judge Mehta questioned both sides’ arguments during the proceedings. He challenged the government’s assertion that Google’s dominance had a negative impact on the quality of the online search experience. At the same time, he pushed Google to defend its position that it is not a monopoly because consumers have other options like Amazon for shopping searches and TikTok for music clips.
The judge’s ruling, expected in the coming weeks or months, will set a precedent for government challenges to the size and power of tech giants. In addition to Google, federal regulators have also filed antitrust lawsuits against Apple, Amazon, and Meta, as well as a second case against Google related to online advertising. Before closing arguments began, the head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division and a Google executive were seen chatting in the courtroom. During the proceedings, Judge Mehta questioned the government about innovation in search and the lack of competition in the online search business, where Google holds a dominant share. He also raised concerns about the alleged lack of privacy protections in Google’s search engine and questioned the trade-off between privacy and search quality.
The Justice Department argued that because Google had a monopoly and faced weak competition, it had not invested in privacy protections for its search engine. Judge Mehta challenged this argument, suggesting that there might be a trade-off between privacy and search quality. He also prodded Google’s lead litigator on the assertion that companies like Amazon and ESPN are true competitors to Google’s search engine. The judge questioned how another company could compete with Google as the default search engine for Apple’s web browser, Safari, without significant financial resources. He also questioned why Google needed to pay for placement as the default search engine if its product was truly better than competitors’.
Throughout the proceedings, the judge engaged both sides in questioning and challenged their arguments. He noted that the search experience has evolved over the years, in part due to innovations by Google. Judge Mehta raised doubts about the government’s claim that Google had not innovated enough and pushed back on Google’s assertion that it faces significant competition in the search market. The outcome of this case could have far-reaching implications for the technology industry and set a precedent for future antitrust challenges against tech giants. The judge’s decision will be closely watched by stakeholders in the industry and could shape the future of competition in the tech sector.
