Blue Whale News, November 19th (Reporter Zhu Junxi) Faced with the strictest anti-monopoly measures taken by the US government against tech giants in more than 20 years, Google may lose its Chrome browser, causing a historic blow to its main source of revenue.
On November 19th local time, it was reported that senior antitrust officials from the US Department of Justice have decided to request a judge to compel Google to sell its Chrome browser. In addition, it will be proposed to require Google to unbind its Android smartphone operating system from other products, including Google Search and Google Play mobile app store. And require Google to authorize its search engine data, provide more protection options for websites, and prevent their content from being used by Google's artificial intelligence products.
According to sources cited in the message, the government can decide whether it is necessary to require the sale of Chrome browser, depending on whether other remedial measures can create a more competitive market. Antitrust officials have also abandoned a previously proposed stricter measure, which would require Google to sell its Android business.
In August of this year, the US Department of Justice won a lawsuit against Google for monopolizing the online search market. Google has been ruled by a judge to maintain its monopoly in the search market through exclusive distribution agreements, including paying billions of dollars to mobile phone manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung to ensure that Google's search engine is set as the default search engine for smartphones and web browsers. According to judicial procedures, the US Department of Justice will officially release a remedial framework this week. The judge will hold a hearing in April next year and make a final ruling before August. Google has stated that it will appeal this case.
As one of the most widely used browsers globally, Chrome is a key part of Google's ecosystem and the primary access point for users to use its search engine. According to StatCounter, a network traffic analysis tool, Chrome browser holds a 61% market share in the United States. In addition, Google will also collect a large amount of user data through the Chrome browser to serve its advertising business, achieving more accurate advertising placement and optimization of advertising effectiveness. The advertising revenue generated by search is the largest contributor to Google's revenue, recording $49.4 billion in the third quarter of this year, accounting for nearly 56% of the total revenue.
In recent years, AI has become an indispensable part of Google's strategic landscape, and Chrome browser is an important platform for the implementation of its large-scale model technology. Google has integrated AI models such as Gemini Nano into the Chrome browser, allowing users to directly call the models for queries and interactions. Google has also introduced several other AI features in Chrome, including Google Lens visual search, "AI Overviews" probability function, and more.
After the news of Chrome browser being forced to be sold, Google's parent company Alphabet's stock price fell by 1.8% after hours. As of press time, the decline has fallen back to 0.83%, at $175.34 per share.
Regarding the anti-monopoly measures proposed by the US Department of Justice, Lee Anne Mulholland, Google's global head of regulatory affairs, responded that the Department of Justice is pushing for a "radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues of this case". She added, "The government's influence in this way will harm consumers, developers, and America's technological leadership when it is most needed
At the third quarter earnings conference call at the end of October, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai also stated that the US government's solution to antitrust cases may have unexpected consequences, affecting the "vibrant technology industry and the leadership position of the United States".
In addition to the case in the search engine market, Google is also embroiled in another antitrust lawsuit regarding its advertising technology. The US Department of Justice accuses it of illegally monopolizing the digital advertising industry, eliminating competitors through acquisitions, and controlling various links in the online advertising transaction chain. At present, the second anti-monopoly case is still under trial. If the Ministry of Justice wins again, Google will face the risk of its advertising technology business being split, which also threatens its advertising business.
But Trump, who is re elected as the President of the United States, may withdraw some of the antitrust policies from the Biden administration, which will ease the cloud over Silicon Valley tech giants. For Google, although the case accusing it of monopolizing the online search market began during Trump's first term, his attitude towards Google has changed in the past two months.
In September of this year, Trump also stated that he would sue Google after winning the presidential election because Google only displays bad news about him. But later on, he also stated that splitting Google's search business may not be the most appropriate remedy, believing that Google can be ensured to be more fair without splitting.