Google will still have to break up its business, the Justice Department said(www.engadget.com)
184 pointsby azinman221 hours ago4 comments
  • gnabgib21 hours ago
    Discussion (58 points, 5 hours ago, 55 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43299886
    • dang17 hours ago
      Comments moved thither. Thanks!

      (except for the subthread that depends on this title)

  • foota18 hours ago
    The link title might be misleading if you're not familiar with the process. The justice department (and iiuc Google as well) gets to propose remedies, but it's up to the court what actually happens.
    • BXlnt2EachOther17 hours ago
      yes, the headline is getting ahead of things without the context of the trial. It is not correct -- at least not yet -- that Google "will have to break up its business." This is a DOJ filing for the remedies trial happening this month and/or next. Also correct that Google gets to propose its own remedies. https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/public-policy/googl...

      Judge Mehta has suggested he'll issue a verdict by August. Then either side can appeal. There is still a lot of legal road ahead.

      Wildly speculating, I'm curious if the current Supreme Court would want to set precedent around the interpretation of antitrust law w.r.t. the consumer welfare standard, and whether there's anything in this judgement that would let them do so.

      edit: readability

  • 18 hours ago
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  • dtquad13 hours ago
    US tech giants have been a GDP growth doubling runaway success for America since the 1990s. They are probably among the most economically productive institutions that has ever existed.

    I also don't see them as monopolies considering how trivial it is find and use alternatives. It is essentially a new fast changing landscape of easily replaceable apps. Google's "search monopoly" is already recessing and being replaced by ChatGPT, Le Chat, Perplexity etc.

    The obscene power and influence of the new obscenely wealthy tech-billionaires is of course a problem but laws against large political donations and a wealth tax could fix that.