Google Spares Advertising Exchange from Sale Order

A federal judge has rejected the US Justice Department's request to force Alphabet Inc.'s Google to sell its advertising exchange, AdX. Judge Leonie Brinkema issued her decision under seal on September 2, 2026, denying the department's demand to force a sale of Google's AdX.

The ruling comes after an April 2025 decision found that Google had illegally monopolized two advertising technology markets. The Justice Department had sought to force Google to sell its exchange and make public the auction logic that determines which advertisements appear on websites.

Google shares traded roughly 1% higher on Wednesday following the news. This is the second time Google has successfully defended against Justice Department efforts to force asset sales to address illegal monopolies.