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📍 Washington, D.C. — Alphabet Inc. shares surged 6% in extended trading following a U.S. federal court ruling that allows Google to retain its Chrome browser and Android operating system, easing investor concerns over a potential corporate breakup.
The decision, issued by District Judge Amit Mehta, concluded a multi-year antitrust case in which the U.S. government accused Google of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online search and advertising. While the court upheld findings of monopolistic behavior, it declined to impose structural remedies such as divestiture, citing the emergence of competitive threats from artificial intelligence platforms.
Judge Mehta ordered Google to share certain search index and user interaction data with qualified competitors to promote market fairness, but permitted the company to continue its multi-billion-dollar agreements with partners like Apple for default search placement.
Analysts described the ruling as a relief for Alphabet, preserving key business assets while introducing moderate compliance obligations. The outcome lifted Alphabet’s market value by over $170 billion and marked a pivotal moment in the regulatory scrutiny of Big Tech.
