Google has dominated the search engine markets since 2002 – and has had to pay a lot for it

Google has dominated the search engine markets since 2002 – and has had to pay a lot for it

San Francisco, November 14, 2023

Google gave Apple a 36% share of its advertising revenue for searches conducted through Apple’s Safari browser on iPhone, iPad and Mac. The previously confidential figure was disclosed during the US Department of Justice’s ongoing antitrust case against Google.

Since 2002, Google has been the default search engine in Apple’s Safari. Both companies have tried to keep details of the agreement secret, citing the possibility of anti-competitive effects.

The search standard agreement is at the heart of the DOJ’s case. The Justice Department has examined the agreement as evidence that Google is improperly maintaining its dominance in the search and advertising markets.

During the antitrust trial, University of Chicago economics professor Kevin Murphy disclosed the figure in his testimony defending Google. According to Bloomberg, Google’s top lawyer was visibly uneasy when the confidential revenue data was disclosed.

In 2021, Google paid Apple around $18 billion to secure its position as the default search engine in Safari.