US judge rejects forced sale of Google's ad tech unit

A US judge rejected the Justice Department's bid to force Google to sell its advertising exchange, AdX, marking a major win for the company against antitrust efforts to break up big tech. Judge Leonie Brinkema in Virginia declined the sale, instead accepting behavioral remedies. The Justice Department and states had sued in 2023, and a prior ruling found Google held illegal monopolies in ad tech, harming publishers and consumers. The ruling is the third consecutive rejection of a US bid to break up a tech firm, following losses against Meta and Google's Chrome. Cases against Amazon and Apple are not expected to go to trial until 2027.