Lifebuoy.. Trump's victory may save Google from the risk of dismantling
Donald Trump, the winning candidate in the US presidential election, is expected to ease some of the antitrust policies pursued by President Joe Biden's administration, including backing down from a plan to break up Google after it was found guilty of dominating the online search market and following monopolistic practices, according to Reuters , citing experts.
Analysts say Trump will continue legal action against big tech companies that began in his first term, but he has recently made cautious comments about breaking up Google.
Trump had said at an event in Chicago last October that the relevant authorities could scrutinize and investigate Google's practices without having to break up the company, warning that this could lead to its destruction.
The US Department of Justice is currently working on two cases against Google related to online search and advertising, along with another case against Apple, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing Meta and Amazon in separate cases.
The Justice Department has floated several possible solutions in the search case, including breaking up Google and forcing it to give up parts of its business, such as Chrome or Android, and ending agreements that make its search engine the default on devices like iPhones.
If the breakup plan is implemented, it will be the largest breakup of an American company since the breakup of AT&T in the 1980s.
The Google case is expected to resume in April 2025, with a final ruling expected in August, giving Trump and the Justice Department time to reconsider policies, according to William Kovacic, a law professor at George Washington University.
Lawyers say the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission may abandon Biden-era review guidelines for scrutinizing mergers and acquisitions by large companies in 2023, which have hampered some mergers and acquisitions and angered large companies and investors.
It is worth noting that the Federal Trade Commission consists of five members appointed by the US President with the approval of the Senate. These members are chosen based on their competence and experience in the fields of economics, law and trade. The expected changes in the commission’s policies depend on Trump appointing a replacement for the current chair, Lina Khan, so that the commission has a Republican majority that enables him to implement his policies.