November 19th-November 25th
Below is a roundup of last week’s notable industry news, with summaries and our opinions. We have some tea leaves to read from the Google ad tech antitrust case…
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The Fate of Google’s Ad Tech Monopoly Is Now in a Judge’s Hands🔒
Source: The New York Times
November 21st, 2025
Summary: Closing arguments wrapped up Friday in the US Department of Justice's antitrust case against Google's ad tech business.
Federal Judge Leonie Brinkema will now decide whether to force Google to sell parts of its ad tech business—which would be the first major tech breakup of the internet era—or simply require behavioral changes.
In April, Brinkema found that Google runs illegal monopolies in the open web display ad server and ad exchange markets. Since then, publishers and rival ad tech companies have filed dozens of lawsuits to try and get their fair share out of any resolution.
Prosecutors want Google to sell off AdX, among other remedies. At the hearing, Brinkema acknowledged that Google will probably appeal the decision, but an appeal would postpone any forced sale by years. Behavioral changes, like those being offered by Google, mostly limited to open-web display ads, could take effect much faster.
Brinkema’s decision is expected in early 2026.
Opinion: The judge seems to recognize that by the time appeals wrap up—likely 2028-2029—the open web display ad market will be far less relevant. CTV, retail media, and AI will dominate ad spending.
To recap recent antitrust outcomes:
Last week, Meta was found not guilty in its antitrust case
In September, Google was found guilty of being a search monopoly, but the remedies were a nothing-burger
Now this AdX case looks headed for behavioral remedies that won't matter either
Can’t blame the judge. Forcing Google to sell AdX in 2028 would be like breaking up Blockbuster in 2010. It won’t really matter; if anything, it’ll just create a lot of headaches. Once again, antitrust enforcement is too little, too late. Big Tech will move on to dominating the next thing (in this case, AI), and by the time the next thing is disrupted, they’ll be on to the next thing while government is litigating the last thing. And again, it will be too little too late.
Marketers should stop waiting for regulation to level the playing field. Build strategies that assume Google, Amazon, and Meta will continue consolidating power in old and new frontiers. Invest in capabilities that work across ecosystems rather than depending on any single platform. And recognize that "independent tech" increasingly means "compatible with Big Tech's infrastructure."
This isn't defeatism, it's realism. It’s Big Tech’s world and we all just live in it.
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That’s It For This Week 👋
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