This is how Trump could influence the Google case
The figure of Trump is relevant in this case, as he has issued opposing opinions about Google and the hegemony of large technology companies. On the one hand, he accused the search engine of having a bias against conservative content and promised to prosecute Google “at the maximum levels.”
However, on the other hand, he has made statements that forcing the company to split its Search and operating system businesses could be a very big demand for the government.
Adolfo de Unánue, leader of the Artificial Intelligence for Public Value Initiative at the School of Government and Public Transformation of the Tec de Monterrey, mentioned that the approach that Trump could adopt is deregulatory, that is, limiting the government’s reach in matters of technological innovation.
According to statements that William Kovocic, former president of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has made to various media outlets in the United States, Google should not expect Trump to stop the case against it.
And although the president-elect could ask the Department of Justice to stop the investigation in cases such as the one regarding Google, it would be a decision with a large number of political implications, which would weaken its regulatory and antitrust bodies.
In fact, while the DOJ lost a similar case with Microsoft in 2001, there is only one precedent in which the federal government dropped the case. It happened in 1982 and at that time, the DOJ stopped a case that had been going on for around 13 years against IBM, because it considered it “very weak” and unlikely to win.
JD Vance, Trump’s speech on another level
Another character who could define the future of Google is vice president-elect JD Vance, who since his campaign period was in favor of separating the company, saying that it is “one of the most dangerous companies in the world.”
For Vance, the theory that searches do not display information fairly has made more sense in his speech, even though the company was emphatic that it did not manipulate the results to favor any candidate.
“We have to break up this company,” he said in July during an interview with Fox News. “In fact, I think you’re hearing more and more calls from across the political spectrum that Google is too big, too powerful, and using its market power to control American politics.”
It should be remembered that Alphabet not only has its Search business and Android operating system, but is also a proponent of YouTube, owner of the autonomous driving company, Waymo, and has its own application store, which has also been the subject of antitrust investigations.
In response to the DOJ’s proposed separation, Google said it would “harm American consumers, developers and small businesses, and jeopardize America’s global economic and technological leadership precisely at a time when it needs it most.”
Likewise, he pointed out that these are just the first stages “of a long process” and that they will present their own proposals next month, in addition to a broader follow-up for 2025.
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