A federal judge rejected the U.S. Department of Justice’s request to force Google to sell its AdX advertising exchange, handing Alphabet a significant legal victory in a long-running antitrust case.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled in Alexandria, Virginia, that Google must implement behavioral changes to its ad business instead of divesting AdX. The order was filed under seal for 14 days to allow redactions, so the specific remedies remain undisclosed for about two weeks.
The DOJ sought the breakup after an April 2025 ruling found Google illegally monopolized two advertising technology markets. Prosecutors argued a forced sale of AdX was the cleanest way to restore competition. Google countered that divesting the exchange would be technically messy and harmful to customers, and said the DOJ’s remedy went too far.
AdX is the exchange publishers use to sell ad space through real-time auctions, with Google charging a 20% fee. The unit represented about 12% of Alphabet’s revenue when the suit was filed. Alphabet shares rose roughly 1% on Wednesday following the decision.
This is the second time Alphabet has avoided a court-ordered asset sale. The decision also follows other U.S. antitrust cases where judges declined structural breakups of major tech platforms.
The U.S. approach contrasts with European regulators, who have imposed more than $10 billion in antitrust fines on Google in recent years.
Wall Street analysts remain bullish on Alphabet: 30 analysts rate the stock a consensus Strong Buy with an average price target of $422.59, implying about 23% upside.
