Google Hit With Antitrust EU Fine: The European Union fined Alphabet Inc.’s Google nearly €3 billion ($3.5 billion) for anti-competitive practices and ordered the tech giant to stop giving preferential treatment to its own advertising technology services. After this hefty penalty, US President Donald Trump criticized the EU on September 9, calling the penalty “unfair” and warning of potential retaliatory tariffs if the fine is not revoked.
Donald Trump’s Comment
Donald Trump’s comments came just days after hosting a high-profile dinner at the White House with tech CEOs, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai. During the event, Trump congratulated Sundar Pichai on Google’s recent legal victory, which followed a landmark antitrust ruling allowing the company to avoid a court-mandated breakup.
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According to EU Antitrust Commissioner Teresa Ribera stated that the Google now needs to propose a meaningful solution to resolve its conflicts of interest, and if it fails, we will not hesitate to enforce stringent measures. Meanwhile, New York Times report stated that the executive branch of the 27-nation bloc, accused Google of breaching antitrust laws by using its size and dominance to control the display advertising business, undercutting rivals.
EU Warns Google
The EU stated that tech giant Google abused its dominant position, indirectly harming rival advertising technology providers. Regulators accused Google of leveraging its control over the ad-tech supply chain to access pricing information that competitors cannot obtain. In 2023, the EU had already warned Google that its dominance in advertising technology was being used to disadvantage online publishers. (Also Read: Meet The 10 Most Influential People In AI 2025: One Indian On List, Whose Net Worth Is Rs 8,989,000,000 And Who Is CEO Of IT Company; He Is…)
It is important to note that the White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the fine. The €2.95 billion fine is one of the EU’s toughest penalties and the second-largest against Google for alleged dominance abuses. It follows a €4.125 billion Android fine and a €2.42 billion penalty for harming shopping search rivals. A €1.49 billion AdSense fine was canceled last year.
EU’s Total Fine on Google
Altogether, Google’s EU fines now approach €10 billion, far more than those imposed on Apple, Meta, or Microsoft. Meanwhile, Google’s ad-tech business also faces pressure in the US. The Department of Justice is expected to propose remedies on Friday, ahead of a hearing on September 22.
