Chrome isn’t enough: US wants Google’s Ad Tech business sold off too

The US government’s fight against Google’s market power just got bigger. It seems reining in the tech giant’s popular Chrome browser isn’t the only goal anymore. Now, the Justice Department is pushing hard for Google to sell off key parts of its massive online advertising business as well.

Late Monday, the Justice Department laid out its demands in a court filing. They want Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc., to divest two specific advertising technology products. First on the block would be AdX, Google’s advertising exchange. Following that, the government wants a “phased” sale of the service that helps websites sell their ad space, known as a publisher ad server.

This move follows a significant ruling last month. In April 2025, US District Judge Leonie Brinkema found that Google had illegally monopolized the markets for both ad exchanges and publisher ad servers. According to the Justice Department’s filing, reported by Bloomberg, breaking up these parts of Google’s business is necessary to end the company’s unlawful monopolies. The agency argues these products were central to Google’s “illegal scheme.”

Think of the publisher ad server as the brain behind a website’s ad operations, managing inventory and bids. The ad exchange, like AdX, is the marketplace where advertisers and website publishers connect in real-time auctions. The government has argued for years that Google unfairly uses its dominance in these areas, giving advantages to its own products and forcing advertisers and publishers to stick within its ecosystem.

This push to break up the ad tech division comes alongside another major antitrust battle. In a separate case focused on Google’s dominance in online search, the Justice Department is already seeking the divestiture of the widely used Chrome web browser. Taken together, these actions signal a determined effort by regulators to significantly reduce Google’s control over key parts of the internet.

Google, as expected, isn’t taking this lightly. While it didn’t immediately comment on the latest filing, Bloomberg noted that the company is expected to present its own proposal soon. Previously, Google has argued that forcing sales is inappropriate, especially since the judge didn’t find fault with several of its past ad tech acquisitions. Google maintains publishers choose its tools because they are effective and plans to appeal the April ruling.

The final decision on what remedies Google must implement won’t happen overnight. Judge Brinkema has scheduled a hearing for September to listen to arguments from both sides. But the Justice Department has made its stance clear: simply tweaking Google’s behavior isn’t enough. They believe selling off these lucrative businesses is the only way to restore competition in the digital advertising market.

So it seems 2025 is shaping up to be a bad year for Big Tech and their monopolistic practices. Just a few days ago, Apple was also forced to change its App Store policies to allow developers to add third-party payment options to their apps rather than being forced to use App Store’s payment system. Overall, these rulings are a win for consumers and are much-welcomed.