https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2023/10/doj-grilled-sundar-pichai-on-very-valuable-default-deals-deleted-chats/ > Google's star witness in the Justice Department's monopoly trial, Sundar Pichai, took the stand on Monday. The Google CEO finally admitted that his company pays as much as $26.3 billion annually to set its search engine as the default in browsers and mobile devices because those default placements can be "very valuable,” The Financial Times reported. > When "done correctly," Pichai testified, these deals "can make a difference." The Apple deal, Pichai said, is one such scenario because it “makes it very, very seamless and easy" for Safari users to use Google's services," The Wall Street Journal reported.