Today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed an antitrust lawsuit targeting Alphabet’s ad tech business over concerns of market dominance. The forthcoming lawsuit comes as Google’s market share in the ad tech industry shrinks and as economic headwinds batter the tech and advertising industries.

“Google’s online ad market share is now at an all time low, and it just laid off 12,000 employees in the midst of a declining advertising market – so this DOJ case seems pretty disconnected from economic reality,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “As the tech sector and advertising industry shed jobs, the Biden Administration should be looking for ways to support these sectors rather than undermine what’s left.”

For more than six months, industry analysts have expected the DOJ to file a case against Google’s ad tech business. Earlier this month, the head of the DOJ’s antitrust division, Jonathan Kanter, was cleared to lead the antitrust case against Google despite having a history of working for Google’s competitors and advocating for antitrust enforcement against the company.

###

Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future. We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly. 

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.