Google scored a rare courtroom win Tuesday as a federal judge ruled it won’t have to sell its Chrome browser or Android operating system, easing investor fears about a potential breakup of the company.
Shares of Google parent Alphabet jumped more than 7% in after-hours trading following the decision, while Apple stock rose 3% on news it can continue receiving billions in search referral payments from Google.
The case stems from a five-year antitrust battle in which Judge Amit Mehta previously ruled Google holds an illegal monopoly in online search and advertising. As part of his remedies, Mehta ordered Google to share data with competitors—an attempt to level the playing field for smaller search firms and AI-driven alternatives.
While the ruling preserves Google’s core businesses, it also reflects shifting dynamics in search. Mehta pointed to the rise of AI-powered platforms like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, saying they’re better positioned to compete with Google than traditional search challengers have been in decades.
