That said, he pushed back against the government’s position that defaults are determinative by arguing that the estimated $18 billion to $20 billion Google pays Apple annually to be the default search provider in Safari reflects concerns about competition from Apple rather than maintenance of an alleged Google Search monopoly.
In other words, Google reckons it’s better or more cost effective to pay off Apple and keep Google Search the default on iPhones than face an Apple-powered search engine or some other rival.
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The Justice Department is trying to prove that Google’s 90 percent market share is the result of unlawful behavior – paid deals that stifle competition and anticompetitive technical barriers.
Uhh, aren’t those the same things?
They’re not trying to stifle competition, they are just trying to prevent it completely. Totally better. /s