Overview
- After closing arguments, the DOJ urged U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema to order Google to divest its AdX exchange and pursue sweeping measures such as opening key auction technology.
- Google pressed for behavioral changes instead, arguing a breakup would be technically infeasible, harmful to customers, and subject to delay as the company plans to appeal.
- Brinkema voiced concern about timing and enforceability during appeals, questioned whether viable buyers are ready, and said a decision is likely next year.
- The ad-tech system at issue processes tens of millions of auction requests per second, underscoring the complexity and risk of separating Google’s stack.
- The remedies fight followed an 11-day hearing in Alexandria with 19 witnesses and seven experts, and it unfolds within a broader, mixed record of Big Tech antitrust enforcement.