Will likely result in some sum of x millions in fines. This will make zero difference in Google's control over search and anything related.
We all seen this movie multiple times and end is always the same..
Not for an antitrust lawsuit. The remedy for antitrust is divestiture; if found guilty and the judge assigns that penalty, Google can't just pay their way out of it; they'd have to shut down / slice off into an independent company (probably) DoubleClick and some other acquisitions.
Think less "EU fair practices violations" and more "Ma Bell breakup." The difference is that the EU lacks criminal authority (or jurisdiction or, like, an army to extrajudicially invade the United States) to jail Sundar Pichai, but the US absolutely could if the company is found to be an illegal trust and he fails to take steps to remedy the situation.
Divestiture was on the table for U.S. v Microsoft but ultimately Microsoft paid a penalty and operated under federal supervision for years afterward.
It's hard to know how big of an impact that had on them. They definitely stagnated and missed huge product opportunities like search, social, and mobile. But it's not clear whether they would have missed those anyway based on their business model and culture at the time.
While I hope to see something along those lines, please be aware that divestiture is not the only possible antitrust remedy. Fines, time-limited consent decrees, and other lesser measures are not only possible, but much more likely, especially in our current political climate.
shadowgovt|3 years ago
Think less "EU fair practices violations" and more "Ma Bell breakup." The difference is that the EU lacks criminal authority (or jurisdiction or, like, an army to extrajudicially invade the United States) to jail Sundar Pichai, but the US absolutely could if the company is found to be an illegal trust and he fails to take steps to remedy the situation.
snowwrestler|3 years ago
It's hard to know how big of an impact that had on them. They definitely stagnated and missed huge product opportunities like search, social, and mobile. But it's not clear whether they would have missed those anyway based on their business model and culture at the time.
danaris|3 years ago
scarface74|3 years ago