DOJ Revises Antitrust Proposal: Google to Retain AI Investments, Chrome Divestiture Still on Table

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has revised its antitrust proposal regarding Alphabet's Google, allowing the company to retain its investments in AI startups, including Anthropic. The initial proposal, filed in November 2024, could have forced Google to sell its AI interests. The DOJ will now require Google to notify antitrust enforcers before making further AI investments. However, the DOJ is still demanding that Google sell off its Chrome web browser, alleging the company has monopolized the digital advertising market. The DOJ requested Judge Amit P Mehta to force Google to remove Chrome and end practices that allow the search engine giant to maintain its "illegal monopoly". The proposal mirrors Judge Mehta's landmark ruling made in August 2024, which states that Google illegally maintains its monopoly by paying web browsers and smartphone manufacturers to include Google Chrome in their devices. In 2023, evidence showed that Google paid $26.3 billion in 2021 for these arrangements.