Google's lead counsel, John Schmidtlein, countered that Bing's inferiority was due to Microsoft's mismanagement of its search and mobile products over the past two decades. He argued that Google simply out-invested and out-executed Microsoft. Both sides debated the importance of being the default search engine, with Nadella insisting it was crucial, while Google argued that building the best product was what mattered most.
Key takeaways:
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified in the US v. Google antitrust trial, admitting that Bing is not as good as Google, but arguing that Google's dominance and control of defaults makes it impossible for competitors to catch up.
- Nadella revealed that Microsoft had tried to become Apple’s default search engine but failed. He suggested that the fear of Google promoting its other services like Gmail and YouTube might have deterred Apple from switching to Bing.
- During the trial, Nadella emphasized the importance of defaults in shaping user behavior, arguing that users rarely switch from the default settings. He also expressed concerns about the future of search engines as AI-powered systems grow and publishers may sign exclusive deals with Google.
- Google's lead counsel, John Schmidtlein, argued that Bing's inferiority is not due to Google's dominance, but because of Microsoft's mismanagement of its search and mobile products over the past two decades.