Google avoids breakup in search monopoly case, but judge orders other changes in landmark ruling

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday ordered a major makeover of Google’s search engine in a crackdown aimed at curbing the corrosive power of an illegal monopoly, but rebuffed the U.S. government’s request to break up the company.

The 226-page decision made by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C., will likely ripple across the technological landscape at a time when the industry is being reshaped by artificial intelligence breakthroughs — including conversational “answer engines” as companies like ChatGPT and Perplexity try to upend Google’s long-held position as the internet’s main gateway.