Google found guilty of illegally monopolizing the search engine market!

In a historic antitrust case, a US District Court has found Google guilty of illegally monopolizing the search engine market

In a historic antitrust case, a US District Court has found Google guilty of illegally monopolizing the search engine market. Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled that it paid $26 billion to smartphone and web browser owners to make its search engine the default option, preventing competitors from gaining a foothold. This ruling marks the first time a US District Court has found a tech company guilty in over two decades. The 286-page ruling highlights Google’s systematic payments to Samsung and Apple to use its search engine, driving the company’s value to over $300 billion in revenue, primarily generated by ads within the search engine. This monopoly also affected the market share, with Google growing from 80% in 2009 to 90% in 2020.

However, the judge did not find Google guilty of monopolizing the search engine advertising market, noting that Amazon and Walmart have begun offering advertising related to searches on their websites. It does have a monopoly over search text ads, which appear at the top of the results page. The court’s decision may lead to significant changes, including offering Android users in the US the option to pick a search engine when setting up a new device. Other possible outcomes include separating the search business from Alphabet’s other products, like Android or Chrome, which could result in a US company’s most significant forced breakup since AT&T in 1984. Google has announced plans to appeal the decision, arguing that its success is based on people preferring its “superior products.”