Google CEO Sundar Pichai appeared in court yesterday in response to a civil antitrust suit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2020. The Justice Department filed the suit against Google “for monopolizing search and search advertising.”
Yesterday, October 30, the CEO testified that Google made a deal with Apple, Samsung, and other manufacturers to make Google the default web-browsing solution on their devices to make it “very, very seamless and easy for users to use our services.”
The Justice Department revealed that Google paid around $26.3 billion to manufacturers in 2021 for them to agree to make Google the default solution.
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It's unclear exactly how much money Samsung got from Google to promote the service on its Galaxy devices, but Apple was reportedly paid $18 to agree to this deal. Other manufacturers, including Samsung, were paid around $8.3 billion combined.
Microsoft CEO is unhappy with Google's actions
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been one of the biggest critics of the agreement Google struck with Apple, Samsung, and other manufacturers.
Satya Nadella appeared in court as a witness earlier this month, saying that “Competition is virtually impossible due to Google's dominance.”
On the 30th, Google's Sundar Pichai responded to Microsoft CEO's critiques, saying that “Microsoft's Internet Explorer provides updates once every 1-2 years. For a long time, Chrome released a new version every six weeks. Chrome's search dominance is the result of innovation and early investment.”
Sundar Pichai also said Google paid Samsung, Apple, and other phone manufacturers “to ensure that Google operates properly […]” on their devices.
The U.S. media says there's a high probability Google will win the case. On the other hand, if Google loses in court, the company might have to split up in accordance with laws in the USA, which state that if a company is found guilty of violating anti-trust laws, it can be divided into several companies with restricted ownership.
