In a recent CNBC news clip covering the federal antitrust trial against Google, Eamon Javers, Senior Washington Correspondent of CNBC, said it was "embarrassing" that Microsoft's testimony highlighted the fact that when the tech giant has paid for Bing to be the default search engine on devices, a majority of users have chosen to opt out.
"Google’s attorney hit him pretty hard with this idea that MSFT has paid for the default setting on a number of different devices over the years for Bing, and when they do that, consumers do opt out of Bing. A little bit embarrassing for MSFT at least in that respect," Eamon Javers said in a CNBC news clip published on Twitter.
Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, testified in the ongoing antitrust trial on Monday, claiming that Google's unfair tactics have helped it become the dominant search engine, which has impeded the success of his company's rival, Bing.
According to the New York Times, most of Mr. Nadella's testimony focused around the fact that Google has made it impossible for Bing, and other competitors alike, to compete in the market. Nadella says Microsoft has not been able to out-bid Google’s use of multibillion-dollar deals to make itself the default search engine on web browsers and smartphones.
As reported by The Verge, Google's representative, John Schmidtlein, contended that Bing's inferior performance as a search engine wasn't solely attributed to Google's actions but rather resulted from Microsoft's mishandling of search and mobile products over a span of two decades. He stressed that Google's defense hinged on the legality of developing a superior search engine and asserted that Google had not involved itself in any unlawful practices.
In a recent opinion piece for USA Today, former US congresswoman Barbara Comstock asserts that Google is overwhelmingly favored by internet users as the leading search engine. She argues that this widespread preference alone should not automatically be considered an antitrust violation. Market competition across American industries typically results in better products and services for users, Comstock says, adding that this allows consumers, not the government, to dictate which products thrive.
Windows devices are pre-set with Bing as the default search engine, but the majority of users choose Google instead, according to testimonies from the trial. Despite Edge and Bing being preset as the default browser and search engine on virtually every PC in the US, Google has emerged as the preferred choice, capturing 75% of searches on Windows PCs. Additionally, the Department of Justice's (DOJ's) examination revealed that even with Edge set as the default, 75% of searches on Windows PCs are conducted using Google Chrome, not Edge.
According to USA Today, the DOJ's own expert conceded that consumers voluntarily choose Google as their default search engine "more than 90% of the time," including in Europe, where users are offered a choice of default search engines on new phones, proving that Google remains immensely popular.