Google's landmark antitrust trial is coming to a close

The DOJ sued Google in 2020, alleging it created and maintained a monopoly over search engine services by making big payments to companies such as Apple $AAPL, Samsung, Mozilla, and Firefox to make its search engine the default on devices and web browsers. For example, Google parent Alphabet paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to be the iPhone’s go-to search tool.

“As one of the wealthiest companies on the planet with a market value of $1 trillion, Google is the monopoly gatekeeper to the internet for billions of users and countless advertisers worldwide. For years, Google has accounted for almost 90 percent of all search queries in the United States and has used anticompetitive tactics to maintain and extend its monopolies in search and search advertising.” — DOJ in its announcement of the lawsuit in October 2020

The two parties will put the finishing touches on their arguments in a U.S. district court in Washington, D.C. before Judge Amit Mehta. A decision is expected in late summer or early fall.

The DOJ’s case against Google — which is now worth $2 trillion — bears a striking resemblance to its 1998 case against Microsoft $MSFT. Microsoft was ultimately found in violation of antitrust laws for trying to monopolize Internet browsers, which gives the DOJ a leg up in its argument against Google.

The case is among several antitrust lawsuits filed against Big Tech companies over the last several years. Google is also facing a suit brought by regulators in 2023 for allegedly maintaining a monopoly in digital advertising. Apple, Meta $META, and Amazon $AMZN face similar antitrust lawsuits.

More on Google’s antitrust case

What Google has to prove in the first major antitrust case in decades

Google paid Apple $20 billion to be Safari’s default search engine