Google Could Be Forced to Sell Key Ad Tech Units After Antitrust Ruling

The U.S. Justice Department has formally requested that Google be compelled to sell its core ad technology businesses, marking a major step in the government’s long-running antitrust battle against the tech giant. Specifically, the DOJ wants Google to divest its ad exchange platform, AdX, and its publisher ad server, which helps websites manage and sell display advertising. The proposal comes after a federal judge ruled that Google had illegally monopolized digital advertising markets.

In a court filing, the DOJ argued that only a full divestiture of these businesses could dismantle Google’s entrenched market power and restore fair competition in online advertising. The agency described the proposed remedy as essential to terminating the monopolies that Google built through preferential treatment of its own ad products.

Google has countered with a different proposal: integrating its ad exchange more openly with competitors’ systems and using an independent monitor to ensure compliance. The company claims that forced divestiture is both unnecessary and legally unsupported in this case.

Judge Leonie Brinkema, who earlier found Google in violation of antitrust laws, will hear arguments from both sides in a scheduled September hearing. This case runs parallel to another DOJ effort seeking the divestiture of Google’s Chrome browser over alleged monopolistic practices in search, underscoring the government’s aggressive approach to regulating Big Tech.