The theory meant that forcing a monopolist to defend its conduct could open up space for other companies, particularly newcomers, to innovate in a market. And today, it's happening with Google.
Just as Microsoft is believed to have missed the technology world's move to mobile platforms because it was so focused on its own monopoly case with the justice department, testimony and internal documents suggest Google may have fallen behind in adopting AI because of its own antitrust trial, which concluded in Washington on Friday.
In Google's case, that has been underscored by testimony and other evidence presented during the second phase of the justice department's trial on how artificial intelligence is impacting its core online search business and opening up new deals for start-ups.
On Wednesday, Apples top dealmaker, Eddy Cue, roiled Google parent Alphabets shares with his testimony. Cue discussed why Apple had chosen OpenAI's ChatGPT over Google's Gemini product for the iPhones' new AI search feature. He also said Apple is "actively looking at" revamping its Safari web browser to focus on AI-powered search engines.
The second phase of the Google trial focused on how to address what a federal judge last year found to be an illegal monopoly. After closing arguments on 29 and 30 May, judge Amit Mehta will determine whether to break up the company by divesting the Chrome browser or restore competition to the market in some other way.