Google and the Justice Department are presenting their closing arguments today and tomorrow in the government’s landmark antitrust case against the company that owns a global search monopoly.
rewind The 10-week, high-stakes legal battle probed Googe Search’s business practices last fall.
Why we care: The outcome of this case could forever change how Google works, which would have downstream impacts on search vendors. The ruling could lead to a leveling of the advertising market, which means lower costs and more options.
What to see: The DOJ will outline its significant allegations against Google on Thursday and Friday. The allegations boil down to these three main points:
Google used lucrative deals with partners like Apple to establish itself as the default search engine across devices and platforms. Google paid billions annually to secure these default positions: $26 billion in 2021 alone. (That includes just $20 billion for being the by default in Apple’s Safari browseraccording to newly unsealed court records.) Google hasn’t justified why it’s paying so much beyond stifling competition
the other side: Google rejected accusations of anti-competitive conduct, saying that users prefer its best search engine and that its dominance is not due to any alleged monopolistic tactics.
“We are working very, very hard; for any query, we provide the best experience,” stated CEO Sundar Pichai. “This has always been our true north.”
Bottom line: This landmark case has existential implications for Google’s core search business if the DOJ prevails.
What follows: After closing arguments, Justice Amit Mehta will weigh in on the liability case before him. A potential (though unlikely) outcome could be a breakup of Google, which will be determined later if it rules against the company.
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About the author
Anu Adegbola has been a paid media editor for Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.
In 2008, Anu’s career began with
deliver digital marketing campaigns (mainly but not exclusively Paid Search) by creating strategies, maximizing ROI, automating repetitive processes and making all marketing departments efficient through inspiring leadership both on the agency, client and marketing technology side.
Outside of Search Engine Land article editing, she is the founder of the PPC networking event: PPC Live, host of weekly podcast PPCChat Roundup, ibRand Evangelist at ClickTech.
He is also an international speaker with some of the stages he has presented being SMX (USA), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Live Chat, AdWorld Experience (Bologna) and more.
