New York, Jan 17, 2026, 09:35 EST — Market closed.
- Alphabet’s Class C shares (GOOG) slipped 0.8% Friday.
- Google has requested a U.S. judge to halt a data-sharing order linked to its antitrust case over search practices.
- Upcoming catalysts to watch are court timelines and Alphabet’s earnings call on Feb. 4.
On Friday, Google requested a U.S. judge to halt a data-sharing order tied to its search antitrust case, arguing against handing over data to rivals — including generative AI companies like OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT — during its appeal, court documents revealed. Alphabet’s Class C shares (GOOG) dropped $2.79, or roughly 0.8%, closing at $330.34.
For the stock, this brings the remedy phase back into focus. The trial isn’t about what Google has done; it’s about what it has to change, and how quickly — with “remedies” referring to court-mandated actions aimed at restoring competition.
Data-sharing is a particularly delicate issue since search data powers the relevance loop behind Google’s ads business and now fuels AI products as well. Any move that lets data slip out — even in part — raises fresh concerns over whether competitors can close the gap.
U.S. stock markets remain closed Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, extending the break before trading resumes. Investors now have until Tuesday to decide how much legal risk to shoulder going forward.
Google is also under legal strain from other angles. Publishers Hachette Book Group and Cengage Group have petitioned a California federal court to join a proposed class action accusing Google of using copyrighted content to train its AI. Maria Pallante, CEO of the Association of American Publishers, said in a statement, “We believe our participation will bolster the case.” Reuters
The Republican National Committee suffered a setback on Friday when a U.S. appeals court rejected its lawsuit claiming Google deliberately routed its fundraising emails to spam folders.
Google’s energy chief pointed to a concrete hurdle in expanding the company’s AI infrastructure: electricity supply. “Transmission barriers are the number one challenge we’re seeing on the grid,” said Marsden Hanna, Google’s global head of sustainability and climate policy, this week. He highlighted lengthy delays in hooking up data centers to the power grid — a process utilities refer to as “interconnection.” Reuters
Power bottlenecks hit investors hard since data centers carry hefty price tags and guzzle electricity. The costs typically surface in capital expenditures and squeeze margins down the line. Even a small signal of construction delays or rising power expenses can rapidly change short-term forecasts.
The key issue for GOOG investors now is whether the court delays the remedy during the appeal or moves forward with changes quickly. But even a hold-up won’t erase broader uncertainty about how aggressively regulators might reshape Google’s search operations.
The downside is clear: if the judge denies the request to halt the data-sharing mandate, Google might have to comply even as it challenges the decision on appeal. On top of that, a wider wave of AI training lawsuits could ramp up legal expenses and distractions, just as the company ramps up spending on its infrastructure.
Alphabet’s quarterly update is next up. The company plans to hold its conference call on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 4:30 p.m. ET to go over its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results. Investors will be tuning in closely for any shifts in the company’s stance on litigation risks and AI-related expenditures.
