Judge Rules Google Abused Power in Online Ads, Breakup Now on the Table

In a major blow to Big Tech, a U.S. judge ruled Thursday that Google illegally monopolized key parts of the online ad market, setting the stage for a possible breakup of its ad business. Judge Leonie Brinkema found that Google used its control over ad servers and exchanges to crush competition, locking in publishers and keeping rivals out—moves she said gave Google an unfair advantage for over a decade.

This ruling, the second major antitrust loss for Google in less than a year, could open the door for the Justice Department to force Google to spin off parts of its ad empire. Google says it will fight back, calling the decision wrong and insisting publishers have other options, but the momentum is clearly swinging against them.

With regulators now circling both Google’s ad business and its Chrome browser, the tech giant is under more pressure than ever. What happens next could reshape not just Google, but the entire online advertising world—and this time, real structural change feels closer than it’s ever been.