Posted by Madison Womack.
This article discusses the monopoly that Google holds against other search engines. The U.S. Justice Department is accusing Google of engaging in unlawful practices which has summoned an ongoing antitrust trial with Google. Specifically, Google has been using their financial advantages to establish a position as the default search engine on mobile devices, which hurts competition and accuses Google of anticompetitive practices In response to this, Google is arguing that they offer a superior product and spend their money in the right places, which is to their scientists and investments in research and innovation.
The big question in this article discusses user preferences. The U.S. Justice Department suggests that Google pays billions to phone markers and carriers to guarantee their status as the default search engine. However, Google states that the choice for most users on Windows computers is Google, even with Bing being the only search engine installed when purchased. Professor Olsen, a professor who teaches at Boston College Law School, states in this article, “defaults don’t really matter, people are picking the superior product.” Google’s monopoly of the search engine is leaving the tech industry frustrated, and the outcome of this trial will show how tech giants are held accountable when using unfair practices.
When examining this trial, it is apparent that Google’s actions can be seen from two different perspectives: one that questions their ethics and another that acknowledges their strategic resource investments. Right now, Google is viewed as the “bad guy” in the tech world. Competitors view Google as an industry titan that outspends other companies to secure their position as the #1 search engine. Google has become a huge company that has beaten out competitors of healthy market competition and turned into monopolistic control. When viewing the trial from a competitors perspective, I can see how it seems like Google cannot be defeated. However, Google has been in the same boat as all other search engines. Google’s search engine is appealing to all types of consumers, which makes them the top for a reason. They invest smart, and consistently deliver products and services that earned them where they are today. In my opinion, I can see both points of this trial. Google is being accused of their unfair advantages when it comes to their practices, however, Google used their resources to invest in innovation and research which is how they are able to present a superior product to customers.
Madison is a finance, accounting, law student at the Stillman School of Business, Seton Hall University, Class of 2025.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-10-09/google-googl-antitrust-case-is-about-search-engine-monopoly-and-ai Links to an external site.