The Google Case: What the Ruling Actually Says
In August 2024, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had illegally maintained a monopoly in general search and search text advertising, in violation of Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The ruling affirmed the DOJ's central argument: that Google's exclusive default agreements with Apple, Samsung, and other device manufacturers — totaling roughly $12-18 billion per year in payments — constituted anticompetitive conduct that locked out rivals.
Remedies proceedings continued into 2026. The DOJ under Trump has maintained the structural remedy push, including a potential forced sale of the Chrome browser — though the administration has been notably less aggressive in seeking an Android divestiture than the Biden DOJ proposed. Google is appealing on both liability and remedy grounds. A final resolution is expected no earlier than late 2026.
Meta's $700 Million Settlement
Meta agreed in 2025 to a $700 million settlement resolving class action claims tied to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal and subsequent privacy violations. The settlement covered approximately 230 million US Facebook users and represented the largest privacy class action settlement in American history — though critics noted that $700 million is roughly three days of Meta's revenue.
Mark Zuckerberg's pivot toward the Trump administration — appearing at the inaugural, hiring a Republican Washington insider as head of global policy, ending third-party fact-checking on Facebook — has complicated the political calculus. The settlement was negotiated under Biden-era conditions but finalized under Trump's FTC. Whether the administration will pursue further structural action against Meta is an open question, and polling suggests the public is skeptical: 61% say the settlement was insufficient given Meta's profits.
TikTok: The Reversal Nobody Fully Explains
The TikTok saga is perhaps the most politically telling episode of the Trump-Big Tech relationship. Congress passed bipartisan legislation requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok's US operations or face a ban — legislation Trump himself endorsed. After the election, Trump reversed course, signing an executive order in January 2025 delaying enforcement and then facilitating a spinoff framework rather than a hard ban.
The political rationale is not difficult to identify: TikTok's 170 million American users skew young, and the app was a significant platform for the 2024 Trump campaign's outreach to Gen Z voters. Banning it would anger a constituency the Republican Party is actively trying to build. The national security concerns — TikTok's data flows to ByteDance and potential Chinese government access — have not disappeared, and critics from both parties note the inconsistency in Trump's position.
Amazon and the Tariff Exemption Fight
Amazon's most direct conflict with the Trump administration involves tariffs and the de minimis exemption — the rule that allowed packages under $800 in value to enter the US duty-free. The exemption is the structural foundation of Amazon's third-party marketplace business model, particularly for the millions of Chinese sellers who source products directly to American consumers. Trump's elimination of the exemption for Chinese goods directly increases costs on a significant portion of Amazon's marketplace. Amazon's reported consideration of displaying tariff surcharges prominently on product listings prompted a White House rebuke and phone call between Trump and Jeff Bezos. The episode illustrated how transactional the administration's approach to tech regulation remains.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the DOJ win the Google antitrust case?
Yes. Judge Mehta ruled in 2024 that Google illegally maintained a search monopoly. Remedies proceedings continue in 2026, with a potential Chrome divestiture still on the table. Google has appealed.
Why did Trump reverse the TikTok ban?
Trump delayed enforcement and negotiated a spinoff framework. The political calculus centers on TikTok's 170 million US users and its reach with younger voters the GOP is cultivating. National security concerns remain unresolved by critics of the reversal.
What is the Meta $700 million privacy settlement about?
Meta settled class action claims from the Cambridge Analytica scandal covering 230 million US Facebook users. At $700 million it is the largest US privacy class settlement, though critics note it equals roughly three days of Meta revenue.
