When OpenAI rocked the tech world with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022, Google
scrambled to roll out what employees called a “rushed,” “botched” and “un-Googley” competitor. Those early stumbles may have been a blessing in disguise.
On Tuesday, a federal judge ruled against the most severe consequences that were proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a landmark antitrust case filed in 2020. Google lost the case last year, but the judge decided that the search giant can keep its Chrome browser, defying the government’s request.
The harshest punishment handed down bars Google from engaging in exclusive contracts that come with payments or licensing. The company must also share search data.
Google’s victory, despite its loss at trial, is largely the result of the fiercely competitive AI industry that’s taken shape in less than three years. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta wrote in a filing that “the emergence of GenAI changed the course of this case.”
