Brussels said only a breakup would fix Google’s ad tech. The judge who agreed on liability has just declined to order one.

Judge Leonie Brinkema rejected the U.S. Justice Department’s request to force Google to divest parts of its advertising business, leaving the European Commission as the sole regulator still advocating a breakup after its €2.95 billion fine. The Commission, which granted an extension to evaluate Google’s November 2025 compliance plan, faces dwindling support from the original complainants, who now favor conduct-based remedies over structural divestiture.