Google has been in the news quite a bit over the last 1-2 months.
❌Google lost its antitrust search monopoly case against the DOJ in early August.
A federal U.S. judge ruled that Google has illegally held a monopoly in search and text advertising. The court focused on Google’s exclusive search arrangements on Android and Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices. This week, Google lost its appeal in the European Union’s top court for violating antitrust rules with its comparison shopping service.
⚖️Currently, Google is back in court in Virginia. The U.S. Department of Justice has accused Google of running a massive ad tech monopoly that has cut off potential rivals and driven up costs for publishers and advertisers alike.
On top of all these legal troubles, OpenAI is developing SearchGPT, an AI-powered search engine that combines the strengths of traditional search engines with the advanced conversational abilities of large language models. It has been nicknamed “the Google killer,” although initial reviews have suggested it has work to do to reduce hallucinations and reach Google’s level of search sophistication.
⚖️The judge who ruled in early August against Google’s search business is yet to hand down a “remedy”; he could order the “divestment” of Google’s Android and Chrome browser businesses, effectively breaking off those groups. This, in turn, would have a massive impact on Google’s AI future, which depends on Android and Chrome.
As of writing, Alphabet’s share price is $155, with most analysts labeling it as a “buy” with a 12-month forecast of a $195-220 share price.
⁉️Where will all this lead for Google?