While I was cutting the grass today, I was listening to “The Daily” from The New York Times talking about the last 2 weeks of the US vs. Google antitrust case. You should listen to it.
It got me thinking that maybe Google losing this case would be good for its customers.
One of the big things on trial is Google’s deals with Mozilla and Apple to be the default search engine in Firefox and Safari. If you’ve never heard of the “Power of Defaults,” I highly recommend reading this article from Tanay Jaipuria on Medium
The default effect is the phenomenon where making an option the default among a set of choices increases the likelihood of it being chosen.
Google’s default deals give it a huge advantage over its competitors. Because Google is the default search engine in Firefox and Safari, it gets the vast majority of search traffic. This allows Google to generate more revenue from advertising, which makes it even more difficult for competitors to compete.
So, why would Google losing its antitrust case be good for its customers? Because it would force Google to compete more fairly. If Google was no longer the default search engine in Firefox and Safari, people would have to actually choose which search engine they want to use. This would give competitors a chance to gain market share, and it would also force Google to improve its product in order to stay ahead of the competition.
Of course, there are also some potential downsides to Google losing its antitrust case. For example, it could lead to higher prices for advertising, which could in turn lead to higher prices for consumers. However, I believe that the potential benefits outweigh the risks.
Ultimately, I think the decision of whether or not Google should lose its antitrust case is a complex one. There are both pros and cons to consider.