In the ongoing US Justice Department’s antitrust case against Google, a Microsoft executive, Jonathan Tinter, testified about how Apple and other smartphone manufacturers declined revenue sharing agreements that would have promoted Microsoft’s Bing search engine over Google.
The Justice Department alleges that Google pays substantial sums to wireless carriers and smartphone makers, totaling $10 billion annually, to secure its position as the default search engine on their devices. This practice is seen as an abuse of Google’s monopoly in the search and search advertising markets.
Bing’s Struggle for Default Status
Tinter revealed that Bing has faced difficulties in becoming the default search engine on smartphones sold in the United States. Despite Microsoft’s offers to share more than 100 percent of revenue with partners, Bing has never been installed as the default search engine on any Android or Apple smartphone sold in the US in the past decade.
Impact on Bing’s Quality
Tinter’s testimony suggests that Bing’s inability to secure default status on smartphones has contributed to its smaller scale and, consequently, poorer search quality compared to Google.
The testimony underscores the competitive dynamics in the mobile search market and raises questions about the influence and practices of dominant players like Google. The antitrust case against Google continues as authorities examine the company’s business practices in detail
