Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, testified during Google’s antitrust trial about the extent his firm would go to in order to overtake Google as Apple’s default search engine.
CEO Satya Nadella testified in court on Monday that Microsoft Corp. was willing to conceal the “Bing” brand of its search engine on Apple Inc. devices in order to reach a deal with the iPhone manufacturer and unseat Google.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified during Google’s antitrust trial about the lengths his firm would go to in order to overtake Google as Apple’s default search engine. This includes urging Apple to consider its technology independently of the Bing brand and providing “strategic flexibility” over how to name the search engine.
The government claims that Google has used its market dominance in search to stifle competition and harm consumers, and the testimony was offered as part of a trial against the company by the Department of Justice. In that instance, the contract between the corporation and Apple is crucial. Microsoft sought, but was unable, to provide a more enticing contract than Google, which pays billions of dollars annually to be the default option for Apple devices.
A default position with Apple would be “game changing,” according to Nadella. “Whomever they decide, they make the king.”
Between 2013 and 2017, when Apple decided to replace Google as the search engine powering Siri and the Spotlight feature on its devices, Nadella did make progress with the iPhone manufacturer. Apple, however, turned back to Google in the other areas after just four years and never changed Google’s position as the default search engine for its Safari web browser.
During negotiations in 2018, there was discussion about getting rid with the Bing name. According to the agreement, Safari search results would have been powered by Bing but under a different name.
Since becoming Apple’s CEO in 2014, Nadella claimed he has attempted to displace Google as the company’s default search engine each year. He said previously on Monday that Apple had employed Microsoft to “bid up the price” it receives from Google.
Do you believe Google would still compensate Apple if there were no other search engines? He asked, “Why would they do that?
Eddy Cue, the executive in charge of services at Apple, has stated that he partners with Google since the Mountain View, California-based company offers the top search results. The Google partnership, which is set up as a revenue-share arrangement, pays the iPhone manufacturer almost $8 billion every year.
According to a recent story from Bloomberg News, Microsoft has even proposed to sell Bing to Apple sometime in 2020. Cue turned down the invitation.