diff --git a/api/BUILD.gn b/api/BUILD.gn
index f6be2c2b36..8366025197 100644
--- a/api/BUILD.gn
+++ b/api/BUILD.gn
@@ -227,7 +227,6 @@ rtc_source_set("rtc_error") {
     "../rtc_base:logging",
     "../rtc_base:macromagic",
     "../rtc_base/system:rtc_export",
-    "//third_party/abseil-cpp/absl/strings",
   ]
 }
 
diff --git a/api/rtc_error.cc b/api/rtc_error.cc
index 51fd07f699..c9ad7cb634 100644
--- a/api/rtc_error.cc
+++ b/api/rtc_error.cc
@@ -10,12 +10,11 @@
 
 #include "api/rtc_error.h"
 
-#include "absl/strings/string_view.h"
 #include "rtc_base/arraysize.h"
 
 namespace {
 
-const absl::string_view kRTCErrorTypeNames[] = {
+const char* kRTCErrorTypeNames[] = {
     "NONE",
     "UNSUPPORTED_OPERATION",
     "UNSUPPORTED_PARAMETER",
@@ -53,7 +52,7 @@ void RTCError::set_message(std::string message) {
   message_ = std::move(message);
 }
 
-absl::string_view ToString(RTCErrorType error) {
+const char* ToString(RTCErrorType error) {
   int index = static_cast<int>(error);
   return kRTCErrorTypeNames[index];
 }
diff --git a/api/rtc_error.h b/api/rtc_error.h
index fdc1999299..ffdcc0a258 100644
--- a/api/rtc_error.h
+++ b/api/rtc_error.h
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
 #include <string>
 #include <utility>  // For std::move.
 
-#include "absl/strings/string_view.h"
 #include "rtc_base/checks.h"
 #include "rtc_base/logging.h"
 #include "rtc_base/system/rtc_export.h"
@@ -130,9 +129,9 @@ class RTC_EXPORT RTCError {
 // Outputs the error as a friendly string. Update this method when adding a new
 // error type.
 //
-// Only intended to be used for logging/diagnostics. The string_view points
+// Only intended to be used for logging/diagnostics. The returned char* points
 // to literal string that lives for the whole duration of the program.
-absl::string_view ToString(RTCErrorType error);
+const char* ToString(RTCErrorType error);
 
 #ifdef UNIT_TEST
 inline std::ostream& operator<<(  // no-presubmit-check TODO(webrtc:8982)