Google’s Fate

Google, a judge ruled earlier this month, is a monopolist. Now comes the hard part: How can its search be fixed to restore competition? Next week, the judge will hold his first hearing to consider the answer.

This one could be messy. There’s a long menu of options that Amit Mehta of the Federal District Court in D.C. could choose from. He could restrict Google’s deals with companies like Apple. He could form separate companies for products like Google’s Chrome browser and its Android operating system. Or he could come up with a completely new idea. And however he tries to curb Google’s power could set a precedent for the rest of the tech industry, as the antitrust suit against Microsoft did two decades ago.

The timing is tricky, too. Search is changing as corporations unveil artificial intelligence to answer more queries. In the end, Google says it will appeal anyway, which will set off another round of hearings.

In today’s newsletter, we’ll explain the options that the judge has for punishing Google, and the potential benefits and drawbacks of each.

The government isn’t likely to show up with concrete proposals at the first hearing on remedies, as this process is called, next Friday. It’s too early for that. Instead, the proceeding is a chance for Mehta to describe what he’s looking for.