Google CEO Testifies: Data Sharing Proposal Would Be a 'De Facto' Breakup of Search

Google CEO Sundar Pichai testified in an antitrust trial that the Department of Justice's proposal to share search data with rivals would be a “de facto” divestiture of the company’s search engine. Pichai argued that sharing data and ranking algorithms would allow competitors to reverse-engineer Google's technology, harming its R&D. The DOJ wants Google to divest Chrome, license search data, stop paying for exclusive placements, and extend the ban to AI products like Gemini. Google counters that this would harm consumers, the economy, and US tech leadership. This marks Pichai's third antitrust trial testimony in recent years, highlighting the intense antitrust scrutiny Google faces.