Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, testified in a major antitrust case in the United States and defended the company’s method of compensating Apple and other tech companies to have Google as the default search engine on their devices. He stated that the goal was to create a smooth and effortless user experience.

The Department of Justice argues that Google, a well-known internet search engine, engages in anti-competitive behavior by paying other technology companies to prevent rival search engines from gaining traction and stifling innovation. As stated in court documents filed last week, Google’s parent company Alphabet paid over $26 billion in 2021 for this purpose, while their operating expenses were around $68 billion for the same year.

According to Google, they are the leading search engine because their product surpasses that of their competitors. CEO Sundar Pichai stated, “We put in a lot of effort to ensure that we offer the best search experience for every query. That has always been our top priority.”

Pichai, originally from India, joined Google in 2004 after working at McKinsey & Co. He played a key role in the creation of Google Chrome, the most widely used web browser, and was appointed CEO in 2015. In addition to his role at Google, he also serves as CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. During his tenure, the company’s profits significantly increased from $19.5 billion in 2016 to $60 billion in the previous year, marking the first full year of Alphabet’s operation.

Google’s chief executive, Pichai, served as the top defense witness and stated on Monday that the company’s payments to phone manufacturers and wireless carriers were intended to incentivize them to make significant security updates and enhancements to their devices. This was not solely to ensure that Google remained the default search engine for users when they access their phones or computers.

Google profits from the agreements as it generates revenue from user clicks on ads displayed during searches. This profit is then shared with Apple and other companies that have chosen Google as their primary search engine.

The Justice Department aimed to demonstrate that Google was concerned about the possibility of Apple creating its own search engine and was also worried about losing employees to Apple. In a 2019 email presented in court, Pichai requested to be notified immediately if any member of Google’s search engine team left for Apple.

The lawsuit for antitrust, the largest one since the Justice Department’s pursuit of Microsoft and its control over web browsers 25 years ago, was initiated in 2020 under the Trump administration. The legal proceedings started on September 12th in the U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. and are projected to last for 10 weeks.

The majority of the evidence presented in the trial has been kept confidential, and a considerable portion has been edited out of documents at the behest of Google and Apple. Their lawyers argue that trade secrets must be safeguarded.

It is probable that U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta will not make a decision until the beginning of next year. If he concludes that Google has violated the law, a subsequent trial will determine how to limit its dominance in the market. This could result in the restriction of Google’s ability to pay other companies, such as Apple, to make it the default search engine.

During his testimony, Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella stated that Google exerts an almost mesmerizing influence over its users.

According to Nadella, the typical morning routine involves getting up, brushing teeth, and using Google. To break this pattern, he suggests changing the default option on devices. This report includes contributions from Associated Press Technology Writer Michael Liedke.

Source: wral.com