A judge has branded Google a monopolist, but AI may bring about quicker change in internet search

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Even so, Mehta's 277-page ruling Monday creates challenges for Google that company founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin probably didn't envision when they set out to revolutionize internet search while attending Stanford University as graduate students. Those deals, which totaled $26 billion in 2021 alone, meant Google automatically processed search requests unless consumers took the time to manually go into their settings and choose another option — something that few do. Apple didn't respond to a request for comment about Mehta's decision, but its executives have depicted the decision to make Google the default search engine on the iPhone and other products as a convenience to its customers — most of whom prefer to use Google. Then, it would cost Apple an additional $7 billion annually to sustain its own search engine, according to Google's analysis.