The U.S. Justice Department is reportedly considering forcing parent company Alphabet to shed at least one of its units. Among the possibilities being explored following a judge’s ruling that Google violated antitrust laws, according to Bloomberg:
Why we care. While a breakup of Alphabet’s Google seems highly unlikely right now (Microsoft ultimately avoided a similar fate nearly 25 years ago despite a similar antitrust ruling), nothing is impossible. If Google is broken up, it will undoubtedly impact all search marketers. How much it will impact your SEO and ad strategies will be the big question, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.
Other options. The U.S. is also considering some “less severe options”:
What about YouTube? One Alphabet unit not mentioned in the report was YouTube. This seems a bit surprising considering the video-sharing platform brought in $31.51 billion in advertising in 2023.
Dig deeper. Google’s illegal search monopoly: Industry reactions, implications