Google monopoly ruling: Industry reactions

A US judge ruled this week that Google did create an illegal monopoly with its search engine business.

The full implications of the ruling are yet to become clear, but we’ve been canvassing the advertising and adtech sectors for comment and reaction from those who are still working despite it being the middle of the great August holiday period…

Suzanna Chaplin, Founder and CEO, ESBconnect

“The USA ruling and the recent cookie news show that Google’s dominance is now under heavy legal scrutiny and sets a firm precedent for their upcoming case regarding the monopolisation of digital ads markets.

“But is the Google brand the real reason for its dominance in search? Microsoft is trying every trick in the book to force people to use Edge on a laptop, yet the Chrome browser is still dominant, despite the effort required to download it.

“While this case may be a turning point for Google’s monopolistic dominance from a legal and corporate structure point of view, and sets a precedent for others like Apple, I don’t believe it will impact the dominance Google have in search, as the equity and value they have built among users is so strong.”

Eric Hoover, SEO Director, Jellyfish

“With the ruling that Google violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act, which prohibits monopolies, the search engine giant was dealt a blow to its signature brand.

“”Google is a monopolist,” said Judge Amit Mehta in his ruling, referring in part to the company paying Apple $20 Billion a year to be the default iPhone search engine.

“So, will Google’s 90% market share in search suddenly crumble? Absolutely not.

“The name Google has become synonymous with searching. “Google it” is a common phrase and has been for years.

“Advertisers, from Paid Media to Organic Search, rely on the data, coverage, and functionality of Google’s search engine results.

“Consumers now expect a search experience to mimic that of Google as well, so much so that everyone from Bing to DuckDuckGo to SearchGPT produce a similar user experience, though in many ways unique to their brands.

“I have no doubt that in the long run, brands, advertisers, and search marketers will have to diversify their reach and spend across search engines.

“But as far as any immediate action is concerned, well I’ll just have to Google that.”

Also published in: Mediashotz