DOJ Considers Remedies for Google Antitrust Violations
The timing of this shareholder settlement coincides with separate legal troubles for Google. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is currently reviewing remedies following his 2023 ruling that Google violated federal antitrust law to preserve its search monopoly.
The Department of Justice has suggested drastic corrective actions, including forcing Google to sell its Chrome browser and share search data with rivals.
A final decision from Judge Mehta is expected by August. This could compound Alphabet’s compliance obligations and reshape the competitive landscape in search technology.
More on this can be found via MSN.
Shareholder Activism Spurs Rare Reforms
Legal experts and investor advocates see Alphabet’s settlement as a milestone in shareholder-driven corporate reform.
Derivative lawsuits—where shareholders sue company officials on behalf of the corporation—rarely yield significant structural change. But this case may set a new standard.
“These reforms, rarely achieved in shareholder derivative actions, constitute a comprehensive overhaul of Alphabet’s compliance function,” said the plaintiffs’ legal team.
“The result is a deeply rooted culture change.”
Coverage from Ars Technica and AppleInsider highlights the unprecedented scale of the changes, with Alphabet setting aside nearly half a billion dollars for new compliance infrastructure.
