I get that the exact amounts of money might be new information, but did people really not know Google was paying a Apple, Mozilla, etc. to be the default search provider? I’ve known about it for well over 10 years and I never got the impression it was any kind of secret.
Other non-secrets:
Google’s main interest in Chrome and Android is as platforms for Google services
Chromebooks were pushed heavily in education largely to get kids familiar with the Google ecosystem
Chromecast and Android TV were created to compete with Apple and keep consumers invested in the Google ecosystem
Of course Google didn’t go out of their way to publicize those facts, but they were never secret. When I worked at Google it was the kind of thing that people talked about openly and without constant reminders to keep quiet about—which you’d typically get in spades with any confidential business information. It’s all the kind of stuff anyone could figure out just by thinking critically about Google’s publicly disclosed revenue sources. I’m not in the mood to track down articles but I’m certain it has all been talked about in the press many times over the years.
That said, he pushed back against the government's position that defaults are determinative by arguing that the estimated $18 billion to $20 billion Google pays Apple annually to be the default search provider in Safari reflects concerns about competition from Apple rather than maintenance of an alleged Google Search monopoly.
In other words, Google reckons it's better or more cost effective to pay off Apple and keep Google Search the default on iPhones than face an Apple-powered search engine or some other rival.
...
The Justice Department is trying to prove that Google's 90 percent market share is the result of unlawful behavior – paid deals that stifle competition and anticompetitive technical barriers.
They’re so confident that they can’t be beat that they pay everyone off to make sure? Seems like they’re admitting they suck at search… on the record. I love it.
My takes is even if Google Search engine is better most people won’t bother to change the default Apple SE and Google knows that. Apple user who tend to be more wealthy are worth the cost.
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