'First of all, we plan to…': Google CEO Sundar Pichai on the proposal of breaking up the company

While replying to a question in the earnings call this week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed confidence in the tech major’s legal position and highlighted its dedication to making its products widely accessible.

When asked about the remedies in place after potential loss of contracts related to Google Search with companies like Apple and remedies proposed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in a landmark antitrust case, Pichai said that the company will vigorously contest the ruling.

“First of all, we plan to vigorously defend these cases. And some of the early proposals from the DOJ, et cetera, have been far reaching,” Pichai said.


I think they could have unintended consequences, particularly to the dynamic tech sector and the American leadership there. And we plan to engage very vigorously there,” he added.

“People have chosen us”
Pichai, however, refused to further explain Google’s plan of action but reiterated that Google is the “best” search engine.

“It's not appropriate for me to speculate given it's in the middle of ongoing litigation. But what I would say is stepping back, look, we've always and even as the court acknowledged, clearly, we have reached a position of success because we have deeply innovated, and we are continuing to do so,” he said.

“People have chosen us because they view it as the best product, be it consumers or partners. And we have a long track record of working hard to make sure our products are as easily available to users as possible across all platforms. So all that approach and all the learnings over the years, I think, will all be - will give us a strong foundation,” he added.

This is not the first time Pichai has expressed his disagreement with the judge's decision and outlined Google's plans for a legal battle. Previously, he said that given the scale and size of the [Google’s] business, “I think scrutiny is inevitable”.

(With TOI inputs)