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Google pays 26 billion to be the default search engine

30.10.2023

Translation: machine translated

Anyone who enters a search query in the browser line usually ends up at Google. In a court case, it is becoming clear for the first time how much the company is paying for this. A particularly large amount of money goes to Apple.

In 2021, Google paid USD 26.3 billion to be the default search engine in various web browsers. This is the result of the current antitrust proceedings in the USA against the parent company Alphabet, as "Bloomberg" reports. This is the first time that concrete figures, not just estimates, have been revealed. One manager stated that the payments were Google's largest single expense item.

The lion's share of the money goes to Apple: the tech giant is said to have received 18 billion in 2021 according to the New York Times so that search queries in Safari automatically land on Google. This is particularly important for the company because Safari is the default browser on the iPhone. Google is apparently afraid that Apple could develop or buy its own search engine. Mozilla and Samsung also receive money from Google. According to Bloomberg, the budget for this has tripled since 2014.

The US government and various federal states are suing Alphabet. They accuse the company of unfairly hindering competition. Google's lawyers are defending themselves with the argument that it is very easy to change the default search engine in browsers. The reason why users favour Google is the quality of the service.

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Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.

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