Sundar Pichai says the DOJ’s antitrust plan could kill Google Search

Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, testified during the remedies phase of the company’s search antitrust trial, expressing concerns that the DOJ’s plan could harm Google Search.
Pichai stated that the proposed data-sharing requirement would be “far-reaching” and “extraordinary,” and would likely render it difficult for Google to continue building a search engine.
Google has invested approximately $49 billion in R&D projects, including Search, AI, and other initiatives, which Pichai highlighted as evidence of the company’s commitment to its search business.
Pichai expressed skepticism about the government’s proposal to require Google to share its search data and index with competitors at a “marginal cost,” calling it a “disaster” that would undermine the competitiveness of Google Search.
The DOJ’s plan, if implemented, could potentially kill Google Search, according to Pichai, who emphasized the importance of preserving the company’s ability to innovate and compete in the search market.

Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, took the stand on Wednesday during the remedies phase of the company’s search antitrust trial, and offered a simple message. The US government’s plan to rectify Google’s search monopoly, he said, would be so crushing to Google Search that it might be hard to justify continuing to build a search engine at all.

Pichai was called by Google in its defense, the second witness in its portion of the trial after the Department of Justice finished more than a week of its own questioning. John Schmidtlein, one of Google’s lead attorneys, first led Pichai through a tour of Google’s R&D investments, asking him how much the company has spent on Search, AI, and other projects. (The answer: about $49 billion just last year.) Then he asked Pichai about the government’s proposal to require Google to share much of its search data, and its search index, with competitors at a “marginal cost.”

Pichai said the data-sharing proposal would be a disaster. He called it “far-reaching” and “extraordinary,” appearing on the stand practically flummoxed by the very idea of the proposal. He said that requiring Google to give up all the data in its search index, and the ways it rank …

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Q. Who testified as Google’s CEO during the remedies phase of its search antitrust trial?

A. Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO.

Q. What did Sundar Pichai say about the US government’s plan to rectify Google’s search monopoly?

A. He said it would be so crushing that it might be hard to justify continuing to build a search engine at all.

Q. How much has Google spent on Search, AI, and other projects in the past year?

A. About $49 billion.

Q. What was Sundar Pichai’s reaction to the government’s proposal to require Google to share its search data with competitors?

A. He called it “far-reaching” and “extraordinary”, appearing flummoxed by the idea.

Q. What did Sundar Pichai say about the government’s proposal to give up all the data in its search index?

A. He said it would be a disaster.

Q. Who led Sundar Pichai through a tour of Google’s R&D investments during his testimony?

A. John Schmidtlein, one of Google’s lead attorneys.

Q. How long did the Department of Justice spend questioning witnesses before calling Sundar Pichai to testify?

A. More than a week.

Q. What was the purpose of Sundar Pichai’s testimony during the remedies phase of the trial?

A. To defend Google against the US government’s antitrust plan.

Q. How much did Sundar Pichai spend on R&D investments in total, including Search, AI, and other projects?

A. About $49 billion (just last year).