Forcing Google to sell Chrome and Android won’t make its search engine less popular

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is trying to force Google to sell Chrome after a federal judge ruled that the tech giant was monopolizing the search market. Forcing Google to abandon Chrome and Android will not significantly reduce Google’s share of the general search market, but will only harm consumers.

The Justice Department’s antitrust campaign against the tech giant began in October 2020 when, citing Section 2 of the Sherman Act, he argued that Google abused its monopoly power by “requiring the pre-installation and prominent placement of Google applications,” among other claims of exclusive conduct. Judge Amit P. Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled in favor The Department of Justice in August found Google guilty of monopolizing the search engine market (GSE).

To end Google’s monopoly on the GSE market, The Ministry of Justice recommended divestment from Chrome, “which has “strengthened (Google’s) dominance,” and Android, “which will prevent Google from using Android to exclude rival search providers.”

Reported by Ryan Young, senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Cause that the US Department of Justice’s narrow definition of a market does not take into account Reddit, ChatGPT and other GSE alternatives that have “become popular and outperform Google in some areas.”

Even if we accept the US Department of Justice’s definition of the GSE market, the claim that Chrome is responsible for Google’s market dominance is highly questionable. Google accounted for 89 percent US Search Engine Market despite Chrome being only 57 percent US Browser Market as of October 2024. This means that at least 74 percent of non-Chrome users search on Google, even if we assume that 100 percent of Chrome users search on Google.

Even if Chrome suddenly disappears, it’s clear that Google will still dominate the GSE market. However, antitrust regulators insist that Chrome is “a key access point through which many people use the search engine (Google).” reports Bloomberg. If Chrome is a key access point to Google, the same can be said for Safari, Firefox and Edge.

The DOJ also recommends that Google be prohibited from using its “ownership and control of Android or any other Google product or service to: impair… the features, functionality, or user experience of competing GSEs, search text ads, or AI products on Android devices.” But Google’s move away from Android will deprive users of the convenience of having their smartphones come pre-loaded with Google apps, including Chrome, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Drive and the rest of its vast suite of free apps.

This isn’t the Justice Department’s only lawsuit against Google. The Department of Justice sued the technology firm came under fire in January 2023 for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act by monopolizing digital advertising technology. The DOJ argues that Google’s acquisition of ad tech competitors “has had a detrimental effect on competition and consumers.” But this is not entirely true.

Anticipation of acquisition benefits consumers by stimulating investment in R&D, similar to ex-ante market commitments that guarantee firms a predetermined return on a product. If the latter benefits consumers by encouraging innovation, then so does the former.

The welfare of consumers is the ultimate goal of competition, just as “consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production.” according to Adam Smith. Google’s integration of its search engine, suite of apps, browser, and Android phones has made life better for consumers; The Justice Department’s recommendations will make them even worse.