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Google Grilled: Judge’s Gavel Falls
Plus, magic yarn!
Good morning and Happy Thursday! Here are the Flag’s Top Five stories that should be on your radar to start the day:
US: Rep. Ilhan Omar defeats Don Samuels in Democratic primary for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District (CBS News)
World: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida says he will step down next month (NPR)
Business: Sweet and salty deal worth $30 billion would put M&M's and Snickers alongside Cheez-It and Pringles (ABC News)
Technology: Google launches first AI-powered Android update and new Pixel 9 phones (CNBC)
Sports: Dallas Cowboys are first sports team to surpass $10 billion in value (Fox Business)
And of course, some good news: A former oncology nurse, started The Magic Yarn Project, a nonprofit that donates crocheted character wigs (like Rapunzel braids and Minnie Mouse beanies) to children with cancer or medical hair loss.
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Amazon, once a small online bookstore, grew into a global behemoth, transforming industries along the way. Now, imagine yourself at the forefront of the next revolution: AI. In The Motley Fool's latest report, uncover the parallels between Amazon's early trajectory and the current AI revolution. Experts predict one of these AI companies could surpass Amazon's success with market caps nine times larger. Yep, you read that right. Don't let history repeat itself without you. Sign up for Motley Fool Stock Advisor to access the exclusive report.
TRENDING
Right: Now That Joe's Out, Hunter Biden Can Finally Be a Scandal, Post Editorial Board, New York Post
Right: Reimagining Trump Rally 1.0 To Win in November, Peter Navarro, Washington Times
Right: Press continues to cover for Harris by avoiding her record on key issues, Mark Hemingway, The Federalist
Left: Behind the Curtain: Harris' Plan To Redefine Herself, Mike Allen & Jim VandeHei, Axios
Left: Walz Rebrands Progressive Wins as Household Realities, Juan Perez Jr., Politico
Left: Republicans Are Stuck With Trump’s Obsessions, Chuck Todd, NBC News
BIG TECH
Google Grilled: Judge’s Gavel Falls
Today’s Top Story: Last Monday, a federal judge ruled that Google illegally monopolized online search and advertising, sparking debate and discussion over what the decision could mean for the future of Google and big business.
Reporting from the Right: Federal judge finds Google violated antitrust law in landmark case (Washington Examiner)
Reporting from the Left: Google loses antitrust case over search (NBC News)
RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT
Government Interference
The Top Argument From The Right: Google Antitrust Ruling Is Government Picking Winners and Losers, Tom Herbert, National Review: “The government alleges that Google controls 90 percent of the ‘general search services’ market. Nobody disputes that Google is a large and popular company. … Zooming out reveals a more competitive search landscape than the government cooked up. Generation Z users are increasingly treating TikTok and YouTube as search engines, but both platforms are excluded from the DOJ’s definition of ‘general search services.’ … The court found that Google’s default-search agreements with browser providers such as Apple and Mozilla were instrumental in maintaining Google’s monopoly power over search. … We know from the experience of the European Union that default-search agreements don’t meaningfully influence consumer behavior. …evidence suggests that users choose Google because they like it, not because default agreements prevent them from switching to another search engine. … In a free market, consumers pick economic winners and losers, with antitrust law serving as a tool to maximize consumer welfare. The Google decision is part of a long pattern of government abuse of antitrust law to protect some firms and punish others — consumers be damned.”
Honorable Mention #1: What’s Behind the Antitrust Ruling Against Google? Will Rinehart, The Dispatch.
Honorable Mention #2: Google Loses Antitrust Case Over Search-Engine Dominance, Jan Wolfe and Miles Krupka, The Wall Street Journal.
LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT
What Does This Mean for Consumers?
The Top Argument From The Left: How Google's huge defeat in antitrust case could change how you search the internet, Jessica Guynn, USA Today: “The massive win for the Department of Justice could fundamentally reshape how Google does business. It also could change how we use the internet and search for information. … If upheld, the decision will be a ‘major boost’ for other antitrust cases pending against Google as well as other major tech players like Amazon, Apple and Meta, said Loyola University Chicago School of Law professor Spencer Weber Waller. Monday’s ruling did not include remedies. Remedies will be decided separately, likely after an appeal. One remedy could see Google losing its ability to strike device deals that have helped make its search engine so ubiquitous. Devising the right remedy is critical to restoring competition to the marketplace, Waller said. … If Google was not the default search engine on so many devices, would consumers still use it for 90% of web searches? During the 10-week trial, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella testified that Google’s unchallenged dominance created a ‘Google web.’ ‘You get up in the morning, you brush your teeth and you search on Google,’ Nadella said at one point in his testimony. ‘Everybody talks about the open web, but there is really the Google web.”
Honorable Mention #1: Google Is Officially a Monopoly. Here’s What That Really Means, Nitish Pahwa, Slate.
Honorable Mention #2: A historic ruling against Google could change the internet as we know it, Nicole Narea, Vox.
FLAG THIS
Polling released in April found that a growing number of Americans believe that social media companies hold excessive political power, with 78% expressing this view, up from 72% in 2020. A majority of Americans (51%) also favor increased government regulation of Big Tech companies, while 31% believe the current level of regulation is sufficient, and 16% think there should be less.
Notably, the percentage supporting more regulation has fluctuated over the years but remains consistent with the 2018 figure of 51%. Meanwhile, the share of Americans advocating for less regulation has nearly doubled from 9% in 2018 to 16% in 2024 (Pew Research Center)
Is Google’s dominance in online search harmful to consumers? |
WATERCOOLER
Ford Resigns, Car Banana Bread, High Maintenance Jelly Bean
On This Day in 1899, Henry Ford resigned from his position as chief engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company’s main plant in order to concentrate on automobile production.
National Geographic: 6 of the biggest shipwreck treasures ever found
Today I learned it can take two weeks to make one jelly bean.
POWERED BY THE MOTLEY FOOL
Amazon, once a small online bookstore, grew into a global behemoth, transforming industries along the way. Now, imagine yourself at the forefront of the next revolution: AI. In The Motley Fool's latest report, uncover the parallels between Amazon's early trajectory and the current AI revolution. Experts predict one of these AI companies could surpass Amazon's success with market caps nine times larger. Yep, you read that right. Don't let history repeat itself without you. Sign up for Motley Fool Stock Advisor to access the exclusive report.
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