Apple Was Paid A Mammoth $20 Billion In 2022 To Keep Google’s Search Engine As Default On Its Devices

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Google continues to throw away hefty sums in Apple’s direction just to keep its search engine the default one on the technology giant’s devices. In an ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet by the U.S. Justice Department, it was revealed that the advertising behemoth paid Apple $20 billion in 2022.

The $20 billion sum paid by Google to Apple was not mentioned in either of the company’s security filings, but the information came from elsewhere

Court documents revealed that Google paid Apple billions to keep its search engine as default two years ago. Interestingly, Bloomberg reports that the $20 billion figure was not mentioned in Google’s or Apple’s security filings as that information came through unsealed testimonies from Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue. It is no secret that the technology titan leverages the truckload of cash it has to have a distinct advantage over its competitors, such as Microsoft, to thrive in the search engine market.

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella commented on Apple’s and Google’s relationship previously, stating that the deal prevented other search engines from competing on an equal playing field. The Chief Executive is optimistic that OpenAI’s chatbot is integrated into the Bing search engine now, but he admits that user habits are difficult to change, suggesting that Google may have carved out a massive and permanent piece for itself in this market.

However, the deal between Apple and Google did not involve money initially, with AppleInsider reporting that a large monetary exchange materialized in May 2021, where a monthly amount of $1 billion was paid to Apple. With $12 billion pocketed by the California-based firm, this amount made up 17.5 percent of Apple’s total operating income. Microsoft had previously attempted to break this deal by getting into talks with Apple over acquiring Bing.

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