'You brush your teeth, and you search on Google': Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella criticises Google Search monopoly

Tech giants Google and Microsoft are at loggerheads as part of the ongoing anti-trust case in the US. The case is inquiring about Google’s dominance and monopoly in the field of search. In some direct allegations, Microsoft CEO  Satya Nadella blamed Google’s deals with players like Apple for ensuring that their search engine is the default. He also claimed that despite the innovations in the field of AI, the current market situation won’t budge considering Google’s dominance. 

Satya Nadella was called to the court stands in order to testify against Google Search’s dominance. Nadella, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. He claimed that Google’s agreements with other big players allowed it to gain traction as the preferred choice.  

Nadella said, “You get up in the morning, you brush your teeth, and you search on Google. With that level of habit forming, the only way to change is by changing defaults.”

He further claimed that Google’s dominant position has trapped Microsoft in a “vicious cycle”. Nadella claimed that Google’s existing 90% market share in the search engine market lets it improve its results even more. Nadella went on to say that the idea that there is a choice when it comes to search engines, is completely “bogus”.

Influence of AI
Judge Amit Mehta presiding over the case questioned Satya Nadella about the influence of AI in providing competitors like Microsoft a chance to take some market share from Google. 

Nadella responded by saying that the current distribution advantage of Google will not go away even with the help of AI. 

He said, “In fact, if anything, I worry a lot that—even in spite of my enthusiasm that there is a new angle with AI—this vicious cycle that I’m trapped in could even become even more vicious because the defaults get reinforced.”

Google’s counsel John Schmidtlein cross-questioned Nadella about Chrome browser. He said, “Microsoft was caught sleeping when Google introduced Chrome, which was a far superior browser.”

Nadella responded, “Google did a good job of innovating in the browser.”

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