One thing remains clear amid today’s political and economic uncertainty: a broad, cross-partisan movement to rein in Google is gaining momentum—both in the U.S. and around the world.
A Bipartisan Legal Reckoning
Last week marked a major milestone in the effort to hold Google accountable. Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Google had illegally monopolized multiple markets in the advertising technology sector—a landmark decision that could lead to structural remedies. This week, Google returns to federal court in Washington, D.C. for the remedies trial in another major antitrust case prosecuted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and state attorneys general. That trial—focused on Google’s illegal dominance in the general search market and overseen by Judge Amit Mehta—is part of one of the most consequential antitrust cases in decades and could result in the court ordering a breakup of parts of the company. Together, these cases underscore a growing legal consensus that unchecked platform dominance harms competition, innovation, and consumer choice.
The DOJ’s general search and ad tech cases against Google illustrate rare continuity across presidential administrations. While the Biden Administration and former Assistant Attorney General (AAG) Jonathan Kanter carried the general search case forward, it was originally filed in 2020 under President Trump. Similarly, the ad tech case was filed in 2023 under President Biden and is now being pursued by the Trump Administration. This bipartisan and cross-administration commitment underscores the broad consensus on the need to address Google’s illegal conduct and unfair market dominance.
And now, with AAG Gail Slater leading the DOJ’s Antitrust Division under the Trump Administration, the government is pushing for bold remedies. These include, among other measures, the divestiture of Google’s Chrome browser—which Google has used to illegally entrench its general search monopoly—as well as a ban on default search engine payments, restrictions on self-preferencing of Google’s general search service, and improved third-party access to Google’s search index.
Policymakers Support Enforcement and Push for Bold Legislative Solutions
As the DOJ and state Attorneys General press forward in court, Congress is signaling its readiness to act. The Senate Judiciary Committee’s Antitrust Subcommittee recently held its first hearing of 2025, titled “Big Fixes for Big Tech.” Chaired by longtime Google critic Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), the hearing explored legislative and judicial solutions to curb Google’s dominance in general search and advertising. Panelists from companies like DuckDuckGo, Y Combinator, and Digital Content Next proposed reforms—and received bipartisan support from senators in attendance.
One notable voice was freshman Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL), a former Florida Attorney General who previously sued Google over the company’s ad and search monopolies. Speaking of Big Tech, Moody noted “We’ve gobbled up the Ad tech markets, gobbled up little tech companies that were emerging and sometimes stifling innovation there, we’ve gobbled markets.” Since enforcement by the courts can be slow, she emphasized the need for proactive legislation–so-called “ex ante” rules to prevent monopolistic behavior before it occurs. Her remarks reflect a continuing appetite in Congress for bold legislative action to restore competition in digital markets.
That consensus was also on display at a recent bipartisan event in Washington, D.C., hosted by Y Combinator and organized in part by Luther Lowe, my predecessor at Yelp. The event brought together top antitrust enforcers from both the Trump and Biden administrations — including former FTC Chair Lina Khan, former AAG Jonathan Kanter, Acting AAG Doha Mekki, FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson, and AAG Gail Slater. Despite their political differences, all emphasized the need for continued, consistent enforcement against Big Tech monopolies.
International Regulators Fight for Fair Competition
The global momentum is just as strong. At the same D.C. event, European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, who helms the EC’s antitrust enforcement arm, discussed the EC’s recent preliminary finding that Google violated the Digital Markets Act’s (DMA) prohibition on self-preferencing, including in the local search space. Yelp has been in regular conversation with the EC about these matters, and is supportive of this landmark finding. In March, Yelp joined a letter from scores of tech companies to the Trump administration underscoring the importance of the DMA, and pushing back against Big Tech’s misleading claims that the DMA discriminates against American firms. The EC’s action signals that the global regulatory tide is continuing its turn against platform self-dealing and toward a more level playing field for digital competitors.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom (UK) is also stepping up. In January, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority launched its first investigation under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, examining whether Google has so-called “Strategic Market Status” in the general search, a designation that could trigger new obligations and oversight.
These developments reflect a growing global consensus: unchecked tech monopolies are a threat to innovation, competition, and consumer choice. Whether through litigation, legislation, or regulatory enforcement, the tide is turning. At Yelp, we look forward to continuing our work with lawmakers and enforcers in the U.S. and abroad to ensure that antitrust laws are enforced—and that consumers and small businesses alike can thrive in a truly competitive digital marketplace.
