Google CEO Sundar Pichai says DOJ’s antitrust demands could kill Google Search and hurt the web

Sundar Pichai

Google CEO Sundar Pichai is making headlines and not for a product launch. This time, he’s in court, pushing back hard against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which is trying to rein in Google’s dominance in the search engine market.

So, what’s the issue?

The DOJ has already won the first part of its antitrust case, proving that Google used unfair tactics to stay on top. Now, the court is discussing how to fix it — and that’s where things get intense. One of the DOJ’s main ideas is to force Google to share its powerful search data and web index with other companies. The goal is to give smaller players a fair shot at building their own search engines.

But Pichai says that’s like asking Google to give away its secret sauce. He even called it a “de facto divestiture of search,” meaning it would be like splitting up Google’s core business without officially doing so. In his words, the government’s proposals are “so far-reaching, so extraordinary” that they could make it impossible for Google to innovate like it has over the past 20 years.

What else is on the table?

The DOJ also suggested possibly separating Chrome from Google. But Pichai argued this could cause security risks and affect the open web. To show Google isn’t all-powerful, he reminded the court of Google’s failed social media attempts — like Google Plus and Buzz.

Even as this legal drama unfolds, Google is doing well financially. In fact, it earned over $90 billion last quarter. But with a final ruling due in August, the company’s future could be shaped by what happens next in this courtroom.

In short: Google’s CEO believes the DOJ’s proposed fixes could break more than they fix.