Yes but Google’s payments still make up around 25% of their net income which is pretty huge. Losing that would have a very significant effect on Apple’s margins and stock price

It’s only solved if nobody does it. If Google stops those payments unilaterally MS would just make a slightly cheaper deal with Apple..

I think this ignores Apple could still develop their own search engine, as they did with Maps, and pocket the ad revenue themselves.

To stop Apple from creating its own search engine.

Can we assume that if Microsoft paid Apple to be the default search engine in iOS instead of Google then Microsoft would have market share, or some other source of monopoly power, sufficient to allow the DoJ and state AGs to bring essentially the same antitrust case against Microsoft.

There is this ridiculous "argument" from HN commenters I see sometimes, too often, when "developers" or so-called "tech" companies they work for are caught doing something wrong. It goes something like, "If we didn't do it, then someone else would have so don't blame us."

HN commenter #1:

> Why not just stop making the anti-competitive payments and terminate the agreements. Money saved. Problem solved.

"It's only solved if nobody does it. If Google stops those payments unilaterally MS would just make a slightly cheaper deal with Apple.."

HN commenter #2:

"It's no longer a competitive market. MS can lowball like crazy now"

HN commenter #3:

"I think the point is that if Google is not allowed to make such payments, neither is Microsoft (unless they want to risk the same lawsuit against them)."

antitrust is not about market share, it's about abuse of the power that comes with it.

Why are so many mergers and acquisitions allowed to go through then? Either the law isn't phrased this way, the DOJ ignores the law, or we need to write new legislation.