Big Tech Escapes Consequences of Antitrust Cases Despite Repeated Guilty Verdicts

Google and its Big Tech peers have been embroiled in a series of high-profile antitrust cases, but so far, they've managed to avoid significant consequences. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Google was illegally monopolizing some ad markets, but the punishment is unlikely to have any real impact on its business.

The details of Judge Leonie M. Brinkema's order are still under seal, but it's expected to require Google to play nicer with competitors without making any major structural changes. This is similar to a previous ruling against Google in 2024, where the company was also found guilty of running an illegal monopoly in search.

The US government has been trying to rein in Big Tech for years, but its efforts have been met with limited success. Meta, for example, beat a federal suit accusing it of being a monopoly, while Microsoft won its case against the US in 2022 to acquire gaming giant Activision.

While the government still has pending cases against Amazon and Apple, many are skeptical about the likelihood of significant changes. Big Tech is facing increased regulatory scrutiny in Europe, but investors seem unfazed by the news, with Meta's stock rising after it announced a potential $18 billion payout to settle a teen addiction suit.