Google has its tentacles full these days. While pouring a sea of money into developing so-called generative AI, the company is up against two major antitrust cases brought by the federal government and a number of states. The lengthy suit on Google’s search monopoly has led to a guilty verdict, with sentencing expected late next summer. The Department of Justice’s recently announced goal of a breakup, which would force Alphabet to sell off its widely used Chrome browser, is a potentially major divestiture. But with appeals, it will be years before the final outcome is known.

At the same time, Google parent Alphabet’s advertising technology, the real peach, is now itself on trial. This second trial case has major implications due to the company’s monopolies and oligopolies in various segments of auction-based online ad markets, now a $600 billion a year industry.