‘Googled’ Too Far? Antitrust, AI, and the Battle of the Web Future
In 2025, Google faces mounting legal pressure, major AI search updates, and internal shifts. Here's a breakdown of the latest developments—and what marketers need to know to stay ahead.
Google is facing a perfect storm of pressure, transformation, and scrutiny in 2025. In the recent past (and present), the tech giant has been hit with back-to-back antitrust rulings, challenged over its dominance in digital advertising and search.
Meanwhile, Mozilla—one of Google’s smaller but symbolically important search partners—has sparked debate over data use and revenue dependence, amplifying concerns about Google’s market influence.
Here is a breakdown of everything you need to know, and how it affects marketers.
1. Antitrust Actions
In a landmark ruling in August 2024, a United States federal judge found that Google had unlawfully monopolised the search engine market, setting the stage for potential significant consequences, including the possible dismantling of its parent company, Alphabet.
Adding to its legal challenges, Google was found in violation of antitrust laws for a second time in April 2025. A federal judge ruled that the tech giant held an illegal monopoly in the digital advertising sector, specifically citing its dominance through the AdX exchange and DoubleClick for Publishers (DFP). Consequently, the US Department of Justice is pursuing potential remedies, which could include forcing Google to sell off its ad tech operations.
Proposed Remedies: A coalition of 38 state attorneys general and the DOJ have proposed measures such as banning Google from paying to be the default search engine, requiring data sharing with competitors, and potentially divesting the Chrome browser.
What it Means for Marketers: Potential breakup of Alphabet could lead to a more fragmented digital landscape. Marketers might need to adapt strategies for different, potentially independent entities that were previously under the Google umbrella (Search, Ads, Chrome).
These legal challenges could fragment the digital landscape, potentially leading to increased competition among search engines and ad platforms. Marketers will need to diversify their strategies, optimise for emerging platforms, and adapt to potential shifts in data availability and ad tech ecosystems.
2. Mozilla, Terms of Use and Revenue Sharing Concerns
Amid this ongoing antitrust scrutiny of tech giants, Mozilla recently updated its Privacy FAQ to clarify the varying legal interpretations of terms like “sell” concerning user data. The company said that while it gathers and shares certain data to ensure Firefox operates effectively, this information is either anonymised or aggregated, and users retain control over their data-sharing options.
Although no official announcement has been made regarding a potential sale of Mozilla, the organisation’s close financial relationship with Google’s search business is noteworthy.
Revenue Sharing Agreements: Google provides substantial payments to maintain its status as the default search engine across several platforms. Apple reportedly received an estimated $20 billion in 2022 through such an agreement. Independent browser developers like Mozilla are significantly dependent on this revenue, placing these arrangements at the heart of debates surrounding Google’s market conduct.
What it Means for Marketers: The reliance of partners like Mozilla on Google’s revenue highlights the potential for major shifts in web traffic and user behaviour if these agreements are altered. Marketers need to stay alert and be ready for changes in how users navigate the internet.
3. AI Integration in Google Search
In the last two months, Google has aggressively integrated more sophisticated AI features into its search engine, aiming to provide more direct, comprehensive, and multimodal answers. Simultaneously, the rise of competing AI search technologies and even potential shifts in major partnerships like Apple’s default search engine are creating a dynamic and potentially transformative period for the future of search.
Google has significantly ramped up AI integration in Search:
- Expanded AI Overviews and Launched “AI Mode”: Offering more comprehensive, multimodal AI-powered answers.
- Gemini 2.0 Integration: Powering more complex queries in AI Overviews and AI Mode.
- Multimodal Search in AI Mode: Allowing searches using images and text.
- AI-Powered Scam Detection: Introduced in Chrome, Phone, and Messages.
- “AI Max” for Search Ads: Integrating more AI automation in advertising campaigns.
- Competition from AI Search: Apple is considering AI search alternatives for Safari.
What it Means for Marketers: As AI-generated answers become more prominent, SEO strategies will have to evolve to position brands as trusted sources. Marketers will have to create in-depth, high-quality content tailored for multimodal search and make sure it aligns with how AI interprets user intent.
ALSO READ: The Hidden Costs of Paid Media Automation: Are Marketers Losing Control?
4. Google Employee Review System Revamp
This revamp of Google’s employee review system ((known as GRAD – Googler Reviews and Development) in 2025 is centered on more significantly rewarding its highest-performing employees with larger bonuses and equity, funded by slight adjustments to the rewards for those in the mid-range performance categories. The goal is to incentivise high achievement and drive performance across the company.
To fund the enhanced rewards for top performers, Google will slightly reduce the bonus and equity multipliers for employees with “Significant Impact” and “Moderate Impact” ratings.
Despite this reduction, Google emphasises that “Significant Impact” remains a strong rating, and employees achieving it will still receive more than their target bonus.
These changes are intended to be budget-neutral for the company overall.
What it Means for Marketers: As teams become more outcome-focused, marketers can expect faster rollouts, sharper product improvements, and potentially more aggressive changes to platforms they rely on for visibility and performance.
ALSO READ: Privacy Sandbox’s Role to Evolve as Third-Party Cookies Stay, Says Google
