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The U.S. government’s ambitious plan to break up the world’s largest tech giants—like Google, Meta, Apple, and Amazon—is quickly losing steam, hampered by legal defeats, delays, and a new disruptive factor: artificial intelligence.

Courts Refuse to Force Tech Giants Like Google or Meta to Sell Off Key Divisions
Despite years of effort by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DoJ), no court has yet ordered the breakup of giants like Meta (Instagram) or Google (Chrome, Android). These failures mark a major setback for what was expected to be the biggest antitrust campaign in decades.
Cases against Apple and Amazon are still pending but face their own hurdles, with verdicts likely years away and extensive appeals expected.

Artificial Intelligence Is Reshaping Antitrust Law and Strengthening Big Tech’s Position
Rapid AI development is playing a growing role in court decisions. Judge Amit Mehta’s verdict in the Google Search case is a key example. While he ruled in August that Google unlawfully maintained its monopoly in online search, he declined in September to order the breakup of Chrome or Android—citing growing competition from AI chatbots as a reason for lighter penalties.
A similar pattern emerged in the Google Ads case. Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google had “willfully monopolized” a segment of the ad market, but publicly expressed concern about the idea of splitting off its ad tech unit. She noted that “no buyer had been identified yet” and described the proposal as “still fairly abstract.”

Trump-Era Officials Get a Second Wind
After a string of court losses, former Trump administration officials are gaining new momentum. Gail Slater, who now heads the DoJ’s antitrust division, said Judge Mehta’s ruling “may not go far enough” and that she is exploring further actions.
Meta also won a key case over its acquisition of Instagram. The FTC called the ruling “deeply disappointing” and said it was “reviewing all available options.”

Antitrust Efforts Are Coming Too Late
Many of these antitrust cases began under Trump’s first term and marked a historic shift in U.S. enforcement, similar in scale to the famous 1998 Microsoft case.
Under Biden, the crackdown intensified further, led by Jonathan Kanter and former FTC chair Lina Khan. They expanded the focus beyond tech, filing lawsuits against Amazon and Apple alleging monopolistic abuse of consumers, competitors, and marketplaces.
Amazon and Apple claim the lawsuits are baseless and legally flawed. Their trials are scheduled for 2027.

Legal Delays Undermine Enforcement Impact
Kanter himself admitted the cases “should’ve been brought a decade earlier—remedies would have been far simpler and more effective.” Judge Boasberg, in a recent ruling, echoed this sentiment, saying “circumstances have changed significantly” since the Meta lawsuit was filed in 2020.
The trials also spotlight growing uncertainty over how to regulate emerging technologies like AI.
Speaking in September, Slater said that maintaining competition through antitrust law “is always important, but it’s critical when the technology is developing this rapidly.”
Getting courts to exercise their authority “is one of the reasons it’s important to bring bold and ambitious cases,” she added. “Once the rule of law is established, remedies will follow in time.”

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