Apple’s SVP of Services, Eddy Cue, confirmed that the company does not plan to create a search engine in a declaration filed with a US federal court this week.
The declaration is part of Apple’s motion to intervene in the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against Google, in which the search engine is now penalty phase after losing the case. To address Google’s monopoly over web services and search advertising, the DOJ has called for measures including a ban on payments to smartphone manufacturers like Apple for making Google’s search engine the default on its devices.
While Google has agreed to this, Apple isn’t happy about it: In 2022 alone, Apple received $20 billion from Google to make its search engine the default on its Safari browser.
According to Cue, eliminating that payment would benefit Google and harm Apple.
“If this Court prohibits Google from sharing revenue for search distribution, Apple would have two unacceptable choices,” Cue mentions in the declaration. “It could still let users in the United States choose Google as a search engine for Safari, but Apple could not receive any share of the resulting revenue, so Google would obtain valuable access to Apple’s users at no cost. But because customers prefer Google, removing it as an option would harm both Apple and its customers.”
Cue also outlines three reasons why building a search engine, as suggested by the plaintiffs, would not be possible for Apple.
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First, it is expensive. Second, the rapid developments in AI and its integration with search make it an “economically risky” prospect. Third, Cue says Apple lacks the number of specialized professionals required to run a search advertising business successfully.
In its motion, Apple has requested permission to testify and defend its revenue-sharing agreements with Google when the trial resumes in April 2025. Cue also states that “only Apple can speak to what kinds of future collaborations can best serve its users.”
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