A federal judge ruled on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, that Google will not be required to sell off its advertising technology business following an antitrust lawsuit. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected the Department of Justice's (DOJ) request for a forced divestiture, which the agency had sought after the company was found to have operated an illegal monopoly in specific online advertising markets. Instead, the court accepted most of the parties' proposed behavioral remedies intended to change how the company operates.
The ruling follows a previous decision in April 2025, where Judge Brinkema found that Google had engaged in anticompetitive acts to maintain monopoly power in publisher ad server and ad exchange markets. The judge noted that Google held a market share of over 90% for its ad server. This is the second instance in recent history where federal courts have declined to break up Google's business; a separate case involving Google’s search dominance previously saw a judge reject the forced sale of the Chrome browser.
While the specific details of the court-ordered changes remain temporarily sealed for confidentiality redactions, they are expected to involve modifications to how Google’s ad services interact with competitors. The DOJ and Google submitted proposed changes focused on preventing Google from giving its own services preferential treatment. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google's vice president for regulatory affairs, stated the company was pleased the court rejected the proposal to break apart its tools, while a DOJ spokesperson said the agency was pleased with the "substantial relief" ordered to restore competition.
This decision affects digital publishers, advertisers, and businesses who use Google’s tools to buy and sell advertising space. In the previous year, Google reported approximately $294 billion in advertising revenue. For publishers and marketers, the ruling means they will not see a forced separation of Google’s supply and demand tools, but they may instead notice changes in the auction practices that previously favored Google's own exchange. Some experts suggest these behavioral remedies could potentially lower costs for advertisers and increase revenue for publishers by providing more choices in ad technology.
The ruling impacts the broader technology sector and publicly traded advertising firms, such as The Trade Desk and Magnite, which saw their stock prices rise following the announcement. However, the firm Madison and Wall suggested that while remedies like equal access and data sharing are significant, they may not fundamentally alter the overall dynamics of the advertising industry. This is due in part to the shifting market, where advertising dollars have increasingly moved toward platforms like Meta, TikTok, and Amazon, while artificial intelligence tools have impacted traditional web traffic.
What happens next depends on the unsealing of the full court opinion, which will detail the exact requirements Google must follow. Several advertising companies and publishers, including Business Insider, have already filed lawsuits seeking damages based on the 2025 ruling that established Google's anticompetitive conduct. The court-mandated monitoring and behavioral changes will likely take effect following the finalization of the order.