Google has been paying Samsung an “enormous” monthly sum of money to pre-install its AI app Gemini on the company’s smartphones, according to a report by Bloomberg. As part of an antitrust case against the search giant, Google has a contract with Samsung that is set to run for at least two years.
The payment amount is unknown, but it was described as “an enormous sum” in federal court testimony. The practice, which involves paying companies like Samsung and Apple to make Google’s search engine the default on their devices, was found to be a violation of antitrust law by a California federal judge.
In another case involving Epic Games, Google handed over $8 billion from 2020 to 2023 to secure its dominance in the market. However, this ruling is currently being appealed by Google.
The revelation has sparked criticism that Google’s efforts to promote Gemini through such payments may be unfair to consumers who are forced to use the app.
Source: https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-pays-samsung-an-enormous-amount-of-money-to-pre-install-gemini-on-phones-153439068.html