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 Axios - The Justice Department is expected to present proposals today to limit Google's power in the wake of an August court ruling that the giant abused its search monopoly, Axios managing editor for tech Scott Rosenberg writes. Google's leaders will be distracted by the government's antitrust assault, just as the firm faces the greatest challenge in its history from the OpenAI/Microsoft alliance.

The DOJ will ask the presiding judge to force Google to sell off or spin out the Chrome browser, according to a Bloomberg report.  It's also likely to urge the judge to demand that Google license its search results and data to third parties and competitors.  Estimates of Chrome's market share vary but they all give Chrome billions of users on mobile and desktop — and half or more of the global browser market...

Extracting Chrome from Google would require finding a buyer willing to pay up to $20 billion, per Bloomberg... Much of Chrome's popularity rests on the convenience of its integration with Google's search and other products.  As Daring Fireball author John Gruber put it: "It's like saying I have to sell my left foot. It's very valuable to me, but of no value to anyone on its own."  Share this story.