Microsoft (MSFT) Chief Executive Satya Nadella took the witness stand in Google's landmark antitrust case in the United States on Monday, saying that Google used unfair means to impede the development of Microsoft's Bing search engine.
Testifying before a packed courtroom in Washington, Nadella agreed with the Justice Department's argument that Google, owned by Alphabet Inc., made Google's search engine the default setting on Apple's Safari web browser by striking a deal with Apple Inc. Thus consolidating its dominant position in Internet search.
Because of these default protocols, Nadella said, "you get up in the morning, you brush your teeth, and you start searching on Google. After this habit, the only way to change is to change the default Settings."
Nadella said Microsoft has been caught in a "vicious circle" as Google uses its roughly 90 percent market share to continually improve search results and boost its profits, which in turn further strengthens its monopoly. Nadella said the idea that there is choice in the search engine market is "false."
Nadella was called as a witness by the Justice Department as the trial entered its third week, which could last up to 10 weeks. Justice Department lawyer Adam Severt questioned Nadella for about an hour.
The non-jury trial was overseen by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who has the power to order Google to make a spin-off or other business adjustments.