Google paid companies $26.3 billion to become the default search engine on browsers and smartphones, Bloomberg has learned. One of Google’s top managers, Prabhakar Raghavan, spoke about the fact that the corporation allocated funds for these purposes in 2021 during a court hearing on the antitrust process between the company and the US Department of Justice.
It noted that advertising on Google search engines generated $146.4 billion in revenue in 2021, with investments in its default settings being the largest expense.
Google itself opposed the disclosure of amounts because this information could negatively affect future transactions. But the court did not accept the company’s objection and insisted on revealing the figures.
In 2020, the US Department of Justice sued Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc. The lawsuit concerned the search engine’s default settings. According to the department, the company entered into agreements that prevented competitors from entering the sector.
According to the Ministry of Justice, Google paid smartphone manufacturers, telecommunications operators and Internet browsers. Google considers these transactions to be completely legal and calls the lawsuit erroneous.
It previously emerged that Google could face a third fine in Russia for refusing to remove content banned in the country.
Author:
Natalia Gormaleva
Source: RB
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