The US Department of Justice’s complaint against Google was initially filed in 2020, and the case will likely drag on for many more years. Photograph: Jeff Chiu/AP
Alphabet shares dipped but only slightly after the US Department of Justice said it was considering “behavioural and structural remedies” to prevent Google using products such as Chrome and Android to monopolise online search. Instead, investors were nonplussed, suggesting an end to Google’s search dominance “remains the stuff of fantasy”, as the Financial Times’ Lex column put it.Airlines are furious but how will the Dublin Airport passenger cap affect your holidays?
Nevertheless, Bill Gates has since said there is “no doubt” that the antitrust lawsuit was “bad for Microsoft”, saying Windows could have become the world’s dominant mobile operating system were it not for the distraction of the case. Google, faced with AI rivals hoping to finally end its search dominance, can’t afford to be similarly distracted.