Microsoft CEO Alleges Unfair Practices by Google Contributed to Its Search Engine Dominance

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified in a Washington, D.C., courtroom on Monday, claiming that unfair tactics employed by Google have contributed to its dominance as a search engine. Nadella’s testimony came as part of the government’s antitrust trial against Google’s parent company, Alphabet. The Justice Department alleges that Google has used its powerful search engine to stifle competition and hinder innovation, similar to the case brought against Microsoft in the late 1990s.

Nadella argued that Google’s dominance was a result of agreements that made it the default browser on smartphones and computers. He downplayed the impact of artificial intelligence and other niche search engines like Amazon or social media platforms on the market where Microsoft competes with Google. He emphasized that users often don’t have much choice in switching out of default web browsers on their devices, stating, “We are one of the alternatives but we’re not the default.”

The antitrust case against Google focuses on the deals it made with Apple and other device makers to use Google’s search engine. In the 1990s, Microsoft faced accusations of locking out other tech companies with its Windows software, just as Google is facing accusations of spending billions of dollars each year to secure its search engine as the primary option for finding online information.

Ironically, the antitrust case against Microsoft in the 1990s inadvertently helped Google become a dominant force in the search engine market. By the time Microsoft began developing its own search engine, Google had already become synonymous with internet searches. Microsoft has since invested billions of dollars in its search engine, Bing, but has been unable to pose a significant challenge to Google’s dominance.

Nadella, who took over as Microsoft’s CEO in 2014, has achieved immense success in personal and cloud computing during his tenure. However, Bing remains a distant second in the search engine market. The court is not expected to issue a decision in the case until next year.