Why Google’s ad exchange is at the center of a new DOJ fight
If the DOJ wins, it could mark the biggest shake-up in digital ads in decades and decide who gets paid on the open web.
If you thought Google was in the clear after its big monopoly trial earlier this month, think again. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is already back in court, and this time the fight is over Google’s advertising machine. Starting September 22, federal lawyers will be in Alexandria, Virginia, arguing that the only way to restore real competition in digital ads is to make Google give up control of its exchange.
We’ve seen this play before, hence it feels like déjà vu. Only a few weeks ago, Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google was indeed a monopoly in online search. But when it came time for remedies, he pulled his punches. The DOJ wanted sweeping changes, like forcing Google to spin off Chrome or stop paying billions for default search spots on phones and browsers, but much of Google’s empire stayed intact.
This new case, though, is different. Judge Leonie Brinkema has already found that Google monopolized two key ad tech markets, and unlike Mehta, she isn’t bound by his softer approach. For the DOJ, that’s an opening to push harder for the breakup it couldn’t get last time.
Emmanuel Umahi
What’s actually on the line this time?
At the center of this drama is AdX, Google’s ad exchange, which is basically the cash register of the open web, where billions in ad dollars change hands. Critics say Google’s unique role as both buyer and seller lets it tilt the table in its favor, and that’s why the DOJ wants AdX sold off.
It’s not a side hustle either. Display ads were a central focus of the trial, and Google’s dominance in both exchanges and ad servers has been described as rigging the market from both ends.
And here’s where things diverge from the search case. In search, the government proved monopoly power but failed to land a knockout remedy. Ad tech could be another story. If Brinkema sides with the DOJ, it would mark one of the most aggressive antitrust moves against a tech giant in decades, and a seismic shift for the $600 billion global ad industry.
Louis Eriakha
That matters for more than just Google’s bottom line. For publishers, especially news outlets already under pressure, the outcome could change how much revenue flows back from ads. For advertisers, more competition could mean new players in the space and potentially lower costs. And for everyday users, it could shape whether the web keeps relying on one company’s rails or opens up to alternatives.
That’s what makes this case different. It’s not just about one company’s business model; it’s about who controls the internet’s money machine, and whether the rest of us finally get to see what happens when the levers aren’t all pulled by Google.
