TMW #188 | Google Search is a hostage situation

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Google Search is a hostage situation

Search is now officially a monopoly. We won’t like the remedy

By now you’ve probably heard the news that a federal judge has declared Google Search an illegal monopoly in an antitrust case headed by the US Department of Justice. 

About time, right!? I mean, what has the DOJ been doing for the past decade as Google slowly took the internet as its hostage? 

The ruling is a huge turning point for how regulators will treat large online platforms. In the verdict, the judge decided that Google has built an illegal online monopoly in the general search and search text advertising markets, citing Google’s exclusive agreements with device manufacturers and browser owners Apple, Samsung and Mozilla. 

Google has been spending tens of billions of dollars to remain the default option on these devices and browsers. Here’s one specific example cited as a breach of antitrust law: Google spending $26 billion in 2022 to Apple to remain the default search option for Safari, which the judge argues is an illegal attempt to suppress competition.  

What’s also cited as a breach of antitrust law is the fact that Fortune 500 companies have no clear alternative to Google Search, along with the company’s freedom to raise advertising prices on search with no direct repercussions.

Clearly this situation is not just about Search, but illegal collusion between device makers, software, and operating systems. So let’s look into that. 

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Want to share something interesting or be featured in The Martech Weekly? Drop me a line at juan@themartechweekly.com.