Confusing! Apple CEO Trapped In Google Case With US Authorities

JAKARTA - The US Department of Justice wants to remove several top Apple executives as it prepares for a trial to determine whether Alphabet's Google has violated antitrust laws in the way it conducts its search business. This was revealed by a lawyer representing Apple on Friday, February 11.

In its complaint, the Justice Department accused Google of paying out billions of dollars every year in exclusive agreements with Apple, Samsung and others so that they would make the Google search engine the default on their devices.

As reported by Reuters, in a pre-trial hearing, Steven Sunshine, a lawyer speaking on Apple's behalf, said that the government requested the deposition of "Apple's most senior executive." Sunshine also pointed out that it was not clear to him what the US Department of Justice wanted from Apple.

The US Department of Justice sued Google in October 2020, accusing the $1 trillion company of illegally using its market power to cripple its rivals.

The US Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission and state attorney general's groups launched various investigations into the Big Tech platform about two years ago, some of which have resulted in lawsuits.