How Google became the internet giant at the center of a government crackdown

By Lisa Eadicicco and Clare Duffy, CNN

New York — Just Google it.

The phrase is a testament to just how synonymous the internet giant has become with finding information online as its services are now ubiquitous across everything from smartphones to laptops and even cars.

But that success has come at a cost, according to the US government.

Since 2023, two separate federal judges and a federal jury have ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly in its search engine, online advertising business and app store. Google is fighting to overturn those decisions, which could force the nearly $2 trillion company to split up — if that happens, it would mark the biggest breakup of a tech company since AT&T.

And it’s not just Google; Meta, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple have also faced antitrust sc