Sarah,
I mean, just put your thumb on the scales here as Google is pushing back on
the government for so doing. Do you think this has any chance of
getting through, that something is seismic because Chrome being sold off
would happen?

I think personally it's unlikely it was
unchallenged conduct in the decision. So if you go back and read the 286-page
decision from August 5th, there is a danger for us because we don't have the
time there.

Yeah, there's discussion about the
contracts and the preloading of the Google Suite and a little bit on the
Chrome browser, but unchallenged conduct was the search
bar in the Chrome window. And so that wasn't challenged at trial.
And so, you know, there would have to be

fact-finding and a discussion of the
browser market in the April hearing. Like the prior speaker said, August 2025
is when a decision will come out on remedies.
And also of note, Google has an opportunity to submit their proposed
remedies by December 20th.

So it really is an ongoing process.
The last two big cases, Microsoft and AT&T, took nearly a decade to resolve, and
Microsoft appealed successfully. AT&T less so.
Sarah, do you therefore think some other changes could be made to fight the idea
that Google is a monopoly or monopolistic

in search?
What could Google enact here itself? Well, I think at issue are the
contracts. So the way they contract with Samsung or
the other OEM providers.
That could change. But even so, there's so much dynamism in
the market.

Samsung uploads its own web browser, and I read that in the decision. Other Android platforms, they have their own browsers. And so I think right now the market is so dynamic too with AI search in Windows that, you know, the way Google responds will have to reflect

what's happening in the air market. Let's just talk about A.I. and the data that maybe they'd be forced to license in some way. Would that be positive or negative for the rest of the market? Not just Google. Right.

I think operationally that would be very difficult to work through. So that would also be a years-long process. I don't know how great lawyers are at product design. So to the extent that I mean, there is some talk that there might have FRAND

R&D licensing terms in the proposed remedies, and that is something that is familiar in the intellectual property and standards development world. But to the level of data sharing and, you know, opening that pipeline of AI data, that would be a very new type of remedy that we can see from the share

price that the market isn't freaking out about this. But there does seem to be a cloud over Google for the next few years, maybe even a decade, as you were saying. Sara, what about an administration change in 2025? Does that bear any thought for you?

Yes. What's interesting, though, is the first Trump administration brought the suit. So you have that. Although Assistant AG Makan Delrahim recused himself. So this case has a long history so far. You hear kind of murmurs about the next

administration wanting to continue
activity. But at the same time, you know, they
seem to be more pro-innovation and technology.
So we'll see what whoever is attorney general and then
assistant attorney general, at least inside the Beltway, we're all kind of
guessing who it could be, but who knows

Google's Chrome Pushed to Sale

Welcome to the Bloomberg Technology YouTube channel. Subscribe for original series and mini-docs on game-changing technologies, profiles on innovators, live conversations with experts, and breaking technology news & analysis from Bloomberg TV.

Bloomberg Technology

Initial reaction to the Google antitrust case and its potential impact

Uncertainty about the success of the government's case against Google.

Unlikely that the decision will be unchallenged, referencing a 286-page decision from August 5th.

Focus on unchallenged conduct regarding the search bar in the Chrome window.

Timeline for the case, including a decision on remedies in August 2025 and Google's opportunity to submit proposed remedies by December 20th.

Discussion of potential changes Google could make to address monopoly concerns, focusing on contracts with OEMs.

Market dynamism and the presence of alternative browsers are noted.

Impact of AI search and the dynamic market conditions.

Analysis of the potential impact of forced data licensing on the market.

Operational difficulties and the potential for FRAND (Fair, Reasonable, and Non-Discriminatory) licensing terms.

Long-term outlook and the impact of potential administration changes

Market reaction and the potential for a long-term impact on Google.

The case's history, including its origin under the Trump administration.

Speculation on the potential impact of a change in administration in 2025.