European regulators have concluded that
Google manipulated its search engine to
gain an unfair advantage over other online
shopping sites in the e-commerce market, and
fined Google, whose parent is Alphabet Inc.,
a record $2.7 billion. Google has disputed the
findings and is appealing.
Attorneys general from both parties in 50
states and territories, led by Texas, launched an
antitrust investigation of Google in September,
focused on its online advertising business.
“Google operates in highly competitive and
dynamic global markets, in which prices are
free or falling, and products are constantly
improving,” Pichai says in his written testimony.
“Competition in ads — from Twitter, Instagram,
Pinterest, Comcast and others — has helped
lower online advertising costs by 40% over the
last 10 years, with these savings passed down
to consumers through lower prices.”
Apple, whose iPhone is the third-largest seller
in the world, faces EU investigations over the
fees charged by its App Store and technical
limitations that allegedly shut out competitors
to Apple Pay.
“Apple does not have a dominant market
share in any market where we do business,”
Cook says.
He is making the case that the fees Apple
charges apps to sell services and other goods
are reasonable, especially compared with what
other tech companies collect. In over a decade
since the App Store launched, “we have never
raised the commission or added a single fee,”
Cook says in his testimony.Image: Jacopo Raule