When it comes to search engines, Google is king. We all know that, and it has practically become synonymous to looking for any kind of information. I remember the days when Yahoo search was still a thing, and I didn't even use MSN or Bing. I was in grade school when Google became a part of my consciousness as most of my classmates had already been using it. So, I used it too. Now, it's ubiquitous and it intends to stay that way, as Google's own senior vice president and search head revealed how much they paid to companies to keep Google as the default search engine.
Currently, Google is locked in the midst of an antitrust trial because of this. Meanwhile, Google defended the need for them to maintain their default status, as it is their means of keeping up with their competitors. In the same vein, keeping Google search as the default also keeps Chrome's value intact. It was also reported that Google paid Apple around $18 billion in 2021 to keep Chrome as the default browser on their devices.
Depending on what the result of the Google antitrust trial will be, the state of the internet will be drastically affected. History shows how these antitrust cases go for the company on the spotlight. IBM had their time. Microsoft came after. And now it's Google's turn. No matter what happens, it will be a game-changer.
(Image credit: Firmbee/Unsplash)