Articles

Breaking Up (Google) Is Hard To Do

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is pushing for a historic shake-up of Google’s dominance in the tech world.

We saw this with Microsoft back in 2001, and now it’s Google’s turn.
One remedy? Forcing Google to sell Chrome, the world’s most popular browser.

Other options?

Sell off the Android mobile operating and not allow Google to make search deals like the one with Apple (where Google is the default search in Safari, etc.).
This isn’t just a fight over internet dominance.
It’s a battle over the future of competition, innovation, and consumer choice.

But here’s the big question:

Does breaking up Google solve the problem, or does it just scatter the monopoly across multiple players?

Here’s what we know…

Chrome isn’t just a browser – it’s a gateway to the Internet and Google’s empire.
With a 60%+ global market share, Chrome feeds directly into Google Search, which commands 90% of the entire search engine market.
It’s not just default settings… it’s “extremely valuable real estate,” as Judge Amit Mehta described.
The DOJ says this ecosystem is anti-competitive.
Google argues it’s just good business.

Let’s play devil’s advocate.

Breaking up Google might not create competition.
Instead, it could create multiple monopolies.
Selling off Chrome or Android doesn’t guarantee innovation.
It might just shuffle the pieces.
Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, put it bluntly (and correctly): “breaking up integrated systems doesn’t always mean better consumer experiences.”

In fact, customers often want integration.

So, if Chrome, Search, and Android are split, does that mean different logins?
Higher costs?
More fragmentation?

The AI Elephant in the Room

Meanwhile, the real battle of the day isn’t browsers – it’s AI.
Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon, OpenAI, Anthropic and more are fighting tooth and nail to dominate this space.
Even Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, admits AI is where the future is headed.
The DOJ’s proposal to add guardrails around Google’s AI and data usage might sound like a step forward.
But is it addressing today’s problems with yesterday’s tools (and potentially limiting their ability to compete fairly in AI)?

What Do Users Actually Want?

Here’s where it gets tricky.
Users don’t care who owns what (I don’t think).
They care about seamless experiences, reliable products, and, let’s face it, convenience.
Do they love Chrome? Probably.
Do they love that Google Search just works? Definitely.
Would they abandon it if a better product came along? Maybe.

But here’s the rub:

Despite competitors like DuckDuckGo and even OpenAI entering the search game, users aren’t flocking to alternatives (yet).

What’s the Endgame?

The DOJ wants to “restore competition.”
But breaking up Google raises more questions than answers.
Will it foster innovation, or just make tech giants like Microsoft, Apple, Amazon stronger?
Will it create a fairer market, or just disrupt an ecosystem users already rely on?

And perhaps most critically:

If we break-up Google, what exactly are we building in its place?
For now, the DOJ’s proposals are a step toward reining in Big Tech.

But history shows us that these battles are long, messy, and rarely end the way regulators hope.

This is what Elias Makos and I discussed on CJAD 800 AM. Listen in right here.

Mitch Joel · Breaking Up (Google) Is Hard To Do – The Elias Makos Show – CJAD 800

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Mitch Joel

Mitch Joel lives at the intersection of technology, business transformation and consumer culture. He is the Executive Director of Next Era Institute, a strategic intelligence platform helping leaders understand the forces reshaping business, technology, culture and society. The Institute identifies which shifts matter, explores their wider significance and translates them into strategic direction and momentum. Mitch is also a globally recognized keynote speaker. He has delivered thousands of presentations across both B2B and B2C industries to organizations including Google, Walmart, LEGO, Shopify, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever. Strategy Magazine has called him “one of North America’s leading visionaries.” Mitch built his career by working directly inside the waves of change that reshaped modern business. He founded and built a digital marketing agency that worked with some of the world’s largest brands and was later acquired by WPP, where he served as President of a firm operating in 25 countries with almost 3,000 employees. Mitch is the bestselling author of Six Pixels of Separation and CTRL ALT Delete, and the host of Thinking With Mitch Joel, one of the longest-running business podcasts in the world. His writing and commentary appear in outlets including Harvard Business Review, Fast Company and Inc. Magazine. He is a member of Dr. Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches and was named to the Thinkers50 Radar. Mitch also hosts Groove – The No Treble Podcast, documenting the oral history of electric bass players. Mitch is also Co-Founder of ThinkersOne, a platform that enables companies to bring personalized thought leadership from world-class experts into meetings, events and off-sites in focused 15-minute bursts.