The ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet by the Justice Department has revealed that Google paid Apple a staggering $20 billion in 2022 for default search engine status.
Despite attempts by Google and Apple to keep the payment confidential, details emerged during the trial through testimony and accidental disclosures. According to a report from Bloomberg, court documents revealed that Google paid Apple $20 billion in 2022 to be the default search engine on Apple platforms.
The $20 billion figure wasn’t in Apple or Google’s security filings, but it was confirmed by unsealed testimonies. The figure was shared by Eddy Cue, Apple Senior Vice President of Services, during the trial.
Initially a free arrangement, it evolved into a lucrative deal where, by May 2021, Google was paying Apple over $1 billion monthly. In 2020, the figure was 17.5% of Apple’s total operating income.
