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**Google Shares Soar as Investors Cheer Favorable Antitrust Ruling**

**MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA -** Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) shares jumped 9% on Wednesday after a U.S. District Court ruling in a major antitrust case was seen as a significant victory for the tech giant. The U.S. Department of Justice had sought a potential breakup of Google, including the divestiture of its Chrome browser, after alleging the company held an illegal monopoly in internet search.

While the court acknowledged Google’s monopoly, Judge Amit Mehta declined to impose the DOJ’s most drastic proposed remedies. Crucially, Google will *not* be forced to divest Chrome or the Android operating system. The ruling allows Google to continue making payments to companies to preload its products, but it restricts the company from having exclusive contracts conditioning those payments or licensing.

This means Google can continue its lucrative arrangement with Apple, paying billions to remain the default search engine on iPhones. “This is a monster win for Cupertino and for Google its a home run ruling that removes a huge overhang on the stock,” said Daniel Ives, global head of technology research at Wedbush Securities.

The decision alleviates concerns about Google’s future as it faces increasing competition from AI-driven search platforms like Perplexity and OpenAI. Analysts believe that Google’s advertising business remains robust and its ambitions in artificial intelligence, particularly with its Gemini suite of AI models and chatbot, will be bolstered by the ruling.

“Following today’s announcement, we are increasingly constructive in the longer-term durability of Google’s Search business and are raising our estimates accordingly,” Ives added, announcing a new price target of $245 for Alphabet’s stock.

The ability to retain Android, which powers approximately 70% of the world’s smartphones, is particularly significant for Google’s AI strategy, providing a vast user base for potential integration with Gemini.

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