According to people with knowledge of the debate, Google is urging authorities at President Donald Trump’s and Justice Department’s to back down from a force to dissolve the search engine company in response to national security issues.
The people who asked not to be identified during the secret discussions asked the government to get a less aggressive approach in a conference last week as the , U. S.  , looks to finish what a prosecutor ruled to be an illegitimate online research monopoly.
In November, the Biden administration demanded that Google buy its Chrome web browser and undergo other company changes, including ending billions of dollars in exclusive payments to businesses like Apple Inc. and Google.
Although Google has previously criticized the Biden-era program, the subsequent conversations may provide a glimpse into the company’s strategy as it continues under the Trump administration. Following sessions scheduled for the following month, a federal prosecutor is set to rule on how Google  should change its techniques. On Friday, the judge will hear the final arguments between the edges.
We regularly meet with authorities, including the DOJ, to explain this scenario, according to a statement from Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels. We’ve stated in the past that we worry that the latest ideas will hurt the British market and national security.
A Justice Department spokeswoman for the company declined to comment.
Google’s explanation is not new; it has previously been made public as a result of competitive pressure from authorities and lawmakers. The organization is re-examining the situation in conversations with departmental representatives under Trump because the case is currently in its next stage, known as the “remedy” period, during which the court is radically alter Google’s company.
Kent Walker, Google’s main legal officer, stated in a blog post that the division was pursuing a “radical interventionist agenda that may harm Americans and America’s international technology leadership.” Following the , Justice Department , proposed its remedy in November. Unrelated to the department’s case, Walker made a separate post in January highlighting the company’s collaboration with the government in using artificial intelligence to vigorate cybersecurity threats.
Illegal monopoly
A federal judge determined in a landmark decision in August that the business had unlawfully monopolized the search and search advertising industries. The Biden administration’s decision to seek the company’s dissolution is Washington’s first since its unsuccessful attempts to dissolve its parent company, Microsoft Corp., twenty years ago.
During their meeting last week, company representatives claimed that a softer touch is needed given Google’s critical importance to the nation’s economy, U.S. economy, and national security. They didn’t mention any specific threats that the DOJ had suggested changes, the people said.
In November, the Justice Department requested, among other things, that the , U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta , in , Washington , forbid payments to , Apple Inc., and others for pre-installing its search engine on their devices, and halt investments in AI companies.
Google’s national security arguments echoe recent statements from Presidents Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and European Union regulators to urge regulators to back down from their discussions with tech giants, including U.S., and U.S. The White House called out two laws, the European Union, and the Europe Digital Markets Act in a statement late last month, saying that” America’s economy will not be a source of revenue for nations that have failed to cultivate economic success of their own.”
And in 2022, Google and other significant tech companies, including Meta Platforms Inc., Amazon, and Apple, vehemently opposed an antitrust law that would have required them to open their networks to rivals, arguing in part that it would lead to a ceded ground to China in the U.S.
investments in AI
The Justice Department’s acting Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust, Omeed Assefi, will make the final recommendation later this week. Bis until Gail Slater, Trump’s nominee, is confirmed, Assefi will lead the antitrust division. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 20-2 to send Slater’s nomination to the full chamber, but a vote hasn’t yet been scheduled.
The changes under consideration by the Justice Department include whether restrictions on Google’s investments in AI should be retroactive or forward-looking only, the people said. Under the current proposal Google would have to unwind its investments in companies including Anthropic, Bloomberg previously reported. Anthropic recently weighed in “to address the threat to its business and contractual relationships with” Google it says are teed up by the Justice Department’s proposal.
Separately, in recent weeks, the two parties have been getting ready for the April hearings, including a government lawyer’s deposition of Google CEO Sundar Pichai late last week. This week is the company’s head of search, Liz Reid, scheduled to be deposed. According to the people, employees from , Microsoft Corp.,  , OpenAI, and Perplexity AI Inc. have also sat for depositions in the past few weeks.
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