Google denies its search query volume is declining
What just happened? Apple's Eddy Cue testified in court yesterday in the remedies phase of the DoJ's lawsuit against Google parent Alphabet, and he had a lot to say. Cupertino's SVP of services said people "may not need an iPhone 10 years from now," AI could replace traditional search engines, and Apple expects to introduce AI services to Safari in the future. He also said search query volumes on Safari, which uses Google as the default search engine, declined last month, a claim that Google has denied.
The big picture: If Google really is forced to sell Chrome – as proposed by the DOJ after the company was ruled a monopoly in its antitrust trial – OpenAI could emerge as a potential buyer. The ChatGPT maker has admitted it's interested in acquiring the world's most popular browser and turning it into an "AI-first" experience.
Using free trials to lock government and military into expensive subscriptions?
In brief: The US Federal Trade Commission has spent weeks investigating Microsoft's cybersecurity deals with the federal government. Although the case's fate under the incoming Trump administration remains uncertain, the Commission continues to pursue it, illuminating the tech giant's alleged strategy of locking government customers into its products to block competition.