Google CEO Sundar Pichai to Testify in Antitrust Lawsuit Over Search Engine Dominance

Sundar Pichai, (right) the chief executive of Alphabet Inc., will testify in the antitrust court. (photo: twitter @sundarpichai)

JAKARTA - Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Alphabet Inc.,  and its subsidiary Google, will testify on Monday, October 30 in a once-in-a-lifetime antitrust dispute over Google's dominance in search and some parts of search advertising.

Pichai, called as a witness for Google, will likely be asked about the company's investments aimed at keeping its search service competitive, especially as smartphones take over, and innovations in search advertising.

The government, under cross-examination, might ask why companies pay billions of dollars each year to ensure that Google search becomes the default on smartphones.

The government has argued that Google, which has about 90% of the search market share, illegally pays about $10 billion (IDR 158 trillion) each year to smartphone makers like Apple and wireless carriers like AT&T and others to make their search engine the default. in searches on their devices and stay on top.

The influence in search makes Google the biggest player in the lucrative advertising market, and increases its profits.

Meanwhile Google has argued that the revenue sharing agreement is legal and that it has invested to keep its search and advertising businesses competitive. They also argue that if people are dissatisfied with the default search engine, then users can, and do, switch to another search provider.