Navigating Google’s search antitrust case: Key takeaways

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Hello, and welcome back to Equity, the podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines.

This is our Wednesday show, where we sit down with a key topic and dive deep into it. This week we brought TechCrunch’s own Rebecca Bellan onto the podcast to help us better understand Google’s search-related anti-trust case that is currently ongoing in the United States.

There are a number of major legal cases involving tech giants and their in-market heft and behavior, from Google v. Epic to what’s going on in the EU and the U.S. government’s adtech-related suit against Google, but our focus is search.

Catch up on the state of affairs with Bellan’s reporting here.

Now, the startup angle. Why is this a topic for Equity? A few reasons, I reckon:

• First, if Google’s current methods of maintaining its domestic search market share are forced to change, it could create a more competitive search market, full stop. That could change up where startups advertise, and how much they pay for those ads.
• Next, more competitive search results amongst emboldened rivals could also lead to search results that lean more towards organic information instead of paid insertions. That would be good for startups looking to get the word out, without having to get their wallet out.

I could go on. But hit play and hang out with Rebecca and myself for more. We’ll have her back on when the verdict comes down. Talk to you Friday for our news roundup!