Google Antitrust Trial: CEO Sundar Pichai Admits the Importance of Paying Big Bucks for Default Search Status

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has taken the stand in the landmark antitrust case against the internet giant, admitting the importance of paying billions of dollars to companies like Apple to lock up its status as the default search engine on mobile devices and desktop browsers.

Reuters reports that Google CEO Sundar Pichai took the stand in the ongoing antitrust trial against the internet giant, acknowledging the significance of his company being the default search engine in retaining users and sustaining loyalty. “We were obviously doing the deal for default placement,” Pichai admitted during the trial, emphasizing the strategic importance of this placement in Google’s broader business model.

Pichai, under cross-examination, revealed the company’s nuanced approach, stating, “We pay for preload exclusivity on a device-by-device basis.” This provided greater insight into the strategy employed by Google to maintain a dominant presence in users’ online search experience.

Breitbart News previously reported that Google spent an amazing $26.3 billion in 2021 to make sure it was the default search engine in devices produced by Apple, Samsung, and other companies:

CNBC reports that Google spent a staggering $26.3 billion last year to maintain its dominance as the default search engine on a multitude of platforms. The total amount of its payments came out as part of an internal slide presentation that was disclosed as part of the federal antitrust lawsuit against the internet giant on Friday. This hefty sum wasn’t paid to a single entity but was rather distributed among various partners, with tech giant Apple likely being the prime beneficiary.

Analysts estimate that Google paid Apple $15 million in 2021 to maintain its default status across Apple’s universe of products and services, which include Google as the default search engine on iPhones, iPads, and the Safari browser for Mac computers.

Google’s astronomical payments to maintain its search monopoly have been a central issue in the trial. AP News previously reported that Apple defended the massive payments it receives every year from the search giant:

A top Apple executive defended the tech giant’s decision to make Google the default search engine on Apple iPhones and Macs, saying there was no “valid alternative.’’

Testifying in the biggest antitrust trial in a quarter century, Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, said Tuesday that there wasn’t “anybody as good’’ as Google at helping phone and computer users search the internet.

Read more at Reuters here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.