PARIS, FRANCE – JUNE 08: In this photo image, the logos of the Google app, Drive, YouTube, Gmail, Chrome, Google and Google Maps appear on the screen of an iPhone on June 8, 2023 in Paris, France. Google Chrome browser users are advised to update their browser software as soon as possible to ensure their security. The American giant has just released a security update to fix a computer flaw that represents a high risk for Internet users. This is the third time since the beginning of the year that Google has identified a “zero day” flaw, that is, a computer flaw that was not immediately fixed, a favorite prey of hackers. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)
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Antitrust policy is always and everywhere a backward glance. It would be hard to find stronger evidence of this truth than the attacks by the Department of Justice (DOJ) that happily completed Google for the success of its Chrome browser.
To understand the profound folly of it all, readers need only conducts research on Google while reading this opinion piece. It would reveal a completely different and clearly evolving search experience.
To be at least somewhat specific, the search bar itself has changed at Google to reflect the changing nature of search. It’s now essentially “two lines” to reflect the fact that the way people interact with their computers (‘computer’ itself is a dated word) is increasingly at odds with the way people used to use their various devices.
With that in mind, the Justice Department first targeted Google for its Chrome browser in November 2024, which is instructive in itself. To understand why, readers need only consider the nature of a Chrome search in 2024 versus a search in May 2026. To say there is a substantial difference between the two is an understatement.
Of course, what drives the difference is that the DOJ never had a case. Since human interaction with computers and all manner of other devices is a borderless concept, there is no way to ever reliably define “mastery.” Change is very fast, and it’s very fast because everyone in the tech space knows that attitude of any kind is the fast track to obsolescence.
The DOJ claimed that thanks to Chrome, Google enjoyed an unfair monopoly. But if true, it would also be true that a visit to Chrome today would be no different than in 2024. Which is not remotely true.
Which means the DOJ case against Google was the modern, sports equivalent of the powers that be in the NFL harassing the New England Patriots for unfairly monopolizing the league during the Tom Brady era. Brady, like Chrome, was great, but sports continue to evolve and so does technology.
As essential as Chrome was to users, what made it great was its utility. Just the same, what makes it great in ongoing ways is that Google acts like the opposite of a monopoly as it works feverishly to constantly improve the user experience.
That’s the point of a two-line search bar on the way to searches that look nothing like those of 2024, and realistically not even like those of early 2026. Stasis is again a killer, and the latter explains the persistently evolving experience of a visit to Google.com. The crucial point here is that the previous truth is not going to change.
Consider Google Gemini. As you read this, Google’s AI has surpassed 1 billion users. Soon the previous number will be small if Google continues to innovate. With that, we expect Chrome to recede further and further into the collective mind of the public as fierce competition drives Google’s continued evolution. For now, Gemini is yet another reminder that antitrust is always and everywhere a backward glance.
Looking ahead, however, unfortunately there is more to come. While Google no longer faces a forced divestment of Chrome, it faces ongoing antitrust enforcement over its success in digital advertising.
One can only hope that the graphic nature of the DOJ’s earlier attack on Chrome suggests restraint. Precisely because competition in the AI space is so substantial, it’s only a matter of time before advertising reflects this truth. This means that antitrust attacks on Google’s falsely alleged digital ad monopoly will soon look as silly as the attacks it suffered on Chrome’s massive popularity.
