The message for Big Tech in the Google ruling: Play nice, but play on

A presentation on Google Search at Google I/O in Mountain View, California, on May 10, 2023. Google must hand over its search results and some of its data to rival companies, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, a decision that falls short of the sweeping changes proposed by the government to rein in the power of Silicon Valley. — Jason Henry/The New York Times

A wave of government antitrust suits targeting US technology giants – Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta – spans different markets and makes different allegations of monopolistic misconduct. But the outcomes will determine the rules of competitive conduct in the modern digital economy, where the Internet, data and increasingly artificial intelligence shape markets and corporate behaviour.

A federal judge’s ruling on Sept 2 on what steps Google must take to fix its monopoly in online search delivered the first clear answer: You will be restrained, but not broken up or forced to fundamentally change your business practices.