Former Samsung Executive Calls Google Pressure In Antitrust Court
JAKARTA - A former executive from the Samsung Electronics venture capital branch who proposed expanding the software developer of Branch Metrics mobile apps on Samsung smartphones faced obstacles. Because there is pressure from Google. He said this on Thursday, October 5 in an antitrust hearing against one of the Alphabet units.
Patrick Chang, who works at Samsung Next investing in in-innovative companies, has prompted its parent company to expand offerings from Branches, which can be an in-app search engine, for its Android smartphones.
Branch Metrics founder and former CEO Alexander Austin testified at the end of September that his company removed some of its software functions to avoid complaints from Google while trying to make deals with wireless carriers and smartphone manufacturers. "Branch must ensure that the search remains in the app alone and never connects to the web," Austin said.
Chang testified that Samsung is also facing barriers from wireless carriers, such as AT&T, which sells Android phones.
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Google is accused of paying around $10 billion per year under revenue-sharing agreements to smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung Electronics, wireless carriers, and other parties who have agreed to make the software default and maintain monopoly in search engines.
During its investigation, the Justice Department showed Samsung executive's August 2020 email, David Eun, complaining that "Google is clearly buying its "way" to curb competitors.
In a simultaneous trial by Google lawyers, Chang was asked about another explanation as to why Samsung lost interest in the Branch, namely that the software was uncomfortable and few users clicked on the link offered by Branch.
Chang testified during the fourth week of a hearing that lasted more than two months in which the US Department of Justice seeks to show that Google is abusing monopoly in search engines and search advertising. While reported by Reuters, Google has said its business practices are legitimate.