Google shelled out a whopping $26.3 billion in 2021 to ensure that it remains the default search engine on various devices, including mobile phones and web browsers. The disclosure is a tantalizing piece of data that has come out of an antitrust trial that remains veiled in secrecy.that Google spent a staggering $26.3 billion last year to maintain its dominance as the default search engine on a multitude of platforms.
The DOJ complaint states: “Google pays billions of dollars each year to distributors—including popular-device manufacturers such as Apple, LG, Motorola, and Samsung; major U.S. wireless carriers such as AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon; and browser developers such as Mozilla, Opera, and UCWeb—to secure default status for its general search engine and, in many cases, to specifically prohibit Google’s counterparties from dealing with Google’s competitors.