Despite having an unmatched level of intelligence at their disposal, human beings haven’t been able to save themselves from making mistakes. This dynamic has popped up on the surface time and time again throughout our history, with each appearance practically forcing us to look for some sort of a defensive cover. To the world’s credit, it will find that exact cover once it introduces dedicated regulatory bodies across the entire spectrum. The move was a game-changer, as it instantly compensated for a lot of our errors. However, the utopia died down before anyone could even realize, and if we are being honest, it all happened because of technology. You see, technology and its layered nature would go on to create a reality where people suddenly had an unprecedented shot at exploiting others for their own benefit, while having to face no consequences whatsoever for doing so. Such an element naturally nullified our entire progress and sent us back to square one, but fortunately enough, the world and its regulatory industry, in particular, will make a strong comeback. The same has notably been apparent in various recent cases. In fact, Google’s latest move should only solidify this power shift moving forward.
According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, Google has sensationally offered to spin off its ad auctions business into a separate company altogether. The move is a part of the company’s wider maneuver to save itself from further lawsuits alleging anti-competitive practices. Now, this decision might come as a surprise to many, but it has been in the works for some time now, even more so since 2020, when the US government filed antitrust charges against Google, saying that it was “unlawfully maintaining monopolies in the markets for general search services, search advertising, and general search text advertising.” The lawsuit rightfully bagged a lot of traction, therefore piling up the pressure on the tech giant to make certain amendments. Now, if Google’s proposal is accepted, the company’s web advertising business, like Waymo, DeepMind, and Google itself, will become a part of the expansive Alphabet umbrella. Talk about the financial aspect, the WSJ report claims that the change could move “tens of billions of dollars” in business.
When quizzed regarding the latest development, Google Spokesperson, Peter Schottenfels said:
“We have been engaging constructively with regulators to address their concerns. As we’ve said before, we have no plans to sell or exit this business, and we’re deeply committed to providing value to a wide array of publisher and advertiser partners in a highly competitive sector. Rigorous competition in ad technology has made online ads more relevant, reduced fees, and expanded options for publishers and advertisers.”