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Alphabet's Google spent a massive $26.3 billion in 2021 to make sure that its search engine was the first one you see on web browsers and mobile phones. This information comes from a senior executive during the antitrust trial by the Justice Department.
The amount of money Google paid to be the default search engine has increased significantly since 2014, according to Prabhakar Raghavan, a high-ranking executive responsible for both search and advertising. This information was reported by Bloomberg.
In 2021, Google's revenue from search advertising reached an impressive $146.4 billion, with the payments for securing the default setting being its largest expense. Raghavan mentioned this in the Bloomberg report.
When contacted by Reuters, Google chose not to comment on the testimony.
Google has defended these revenue-sharing agreements as legal and essential for keeping its search and advertising businesses competitive. The company also points out that people have the option to switch to another search provider if they are unhappy with the default settings.
During the case, Google initially resisted disclosing these numbers, claiming it could impact its future contract negotiations. However, Judge Amit Mehta, overseeing the case, ruled that the figures should be made public, as reported.
