The Department of Justice's recent move to try to force Google to divest its Chrome browser operations represents a step in the right direction—but it's merely a baby step when a giant leap is needed. The mounting crisis of tech monopolies demands a far more aggressive approach to dismantling these digital empires that have grown too powerful for the health of our free market system.
The DOJ is right to start with Google when you consider its sprawling dominance. Chrome is just one tentacle of a leviathan that has wrapped itself around virtually every aspect of our digital lives. While forcing Google to spin off Chrome would introduce some competition into the browser market, it leaves untouched the company's iron grip on mobile operating systems through Android, its unparalleled dominance as a search engine, and its stranglehold on digital advertising. True competition demands that Google be broken into several independent companies, each focused on a distinct market segment—much like the 1984 breakup of Bell System into regional "Baby Bells."
But Google is far from alone in deserving this antitrust treatment. Meta's empire, encompassing Facebook, Instagram, and now Threads, represents a monopolistic control over social media that would make Standard Oil blush. When Mark Zuckerberg sees a potential competitor on the horizon, his response is simple—buy them or bury them. Instagram's acquisition was just the start; WhatsApp followed, and the pattern continues. This concentration of social media power in one company's hands doesn't just stifle competition—it threatens the very fabric of our democracy.
Amazon's case is perhaps even more egregious. Jeff Bezos' behemoth has perfected the art of vertical integration in ways that would make John D. Rockefeller proud. From cloud computing to entertainment, from retail to logistics, Amazon has built an ecosystem that makes it increasingly impossible for competitors to gain a foothold. The company's practice of using seller data to develop competing products is just the tip of the anticompetitive iceberg.
Then there's Apple, whose "walled garden" approach is less a garden and more a fortress designed to extract maximum profit from a captive user base. The company's tight control over its App Store, coupled with its hardware ecosystem lock-in, creates barriers to entry that would make medieval castle builders envious. The fact that Apple can demand up to 30 percent of all digital transactions on its platforms while restricting alternative payment methods is nothing short of digital highway robbery.
With the incipient artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, these tech monopolies further threaten our future. Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI, combined with its existing dominance in enterprise software and cloud computing, creates an AI powerhouse that could lock out competition for decades to come. The company's aggressive integration of AI across its product suite—from Windows to Office to Azure—threatens to create an insurmountable barrier of entry into the market for newcomers. Breaking up Microsoft's AI division from its core software business isn't just prudent—it's essential for preserving innovation in the age of artificial intelligence.
Similarly, Nvidia's near-total control of the AI chip market represents a chokepoint on the entire AI industry. With GPU prices soaring and availability strictly limited, Nvidia's monopoly threatens to strangle AI development in its cradle. The company's 95 percent market share in AI training chips is a clear sign that intervention is needed. Forcing Nvidia to separate its AI and gaming chip divisions and then breaking up each into smaller competing entities would create room for competition and innovation in this crucial technology sector.
The solution is clear, if politically challenging—we need a new wave of trust-busting for the digital age. Just as Theodore Roosevelt recognized that the industrial monopolies of his era threatened the American free market system, we must acknowledge that today's tech giants pose a similar threat to competition and innovation in the digital economy.
Critics will argue that breaking up these companies would harm innovation and consumer convenience, but history proves otherwise. The breakup of Bell System led to more competition, lower prices, and unprecedented innovation in telecommunications. Similarly, forcing Big Tech to compete fairly would spark a new wave of digital innovation, as smaller companies would finally have a fighting chance to bring new ideas to market.
The DOJ's move against Chrome is a start, but it's time to think bigger. The future of our free market system—and the promise of AI technology—depends on our willingness to take bold action now. Half measures won't cut it when the foundations of competitive capitalism are at stake.
Nicholas Creel is an associate professor of business law at Georgia College & State University.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
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