- Google’s browser and search engine are used by most consumers
- Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks out amid ongoing investigations
- Multibillion-dollar deal to keep Google Apple’s default option under fire
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has claimed Google makes more money off its Windows operating system than Microsoft does itself.
In a recent video interview with BG2Pod, Nadella hinted at Windows’ openness and support for interoperability, noting that competitor AI tools, like Google’s Gemini, OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, are all available to use on the operating system.
In other words, Windows users aren’t locked into using Microsoft’s Copilot suite.
Google can thank Windows for some revenue
Google doesn’t make its money by selling Micorosft’s operating system, though. Instead, its pervasion of the platform and of many computers in general has helped the company to secure multiple revenue streams.
The company’s hold over the search market and related advertising streams means that most Windows users give back to Google in more ways than just one.
Its Chrome, browser accounts for two in three (66%) desktop browser sessions across all platforms (via Statcounter). Take away Safari’s 9% market share, taking out a portion of Mac devices, and Chrome’s dominance becomes even more apparent.
Even when users choose to use a different browser, Google remains a firm favorite when it comes to search, accounting for 85% of all instances. Microsoft’s Bing only takes a 3% market share. Separate research from Cloudflare’s Year in Review report suggested that Google’s market share is closer to 88%.
The timeliness of Nadella’s comments can’t be ignored, as his company faces ongoing regulatory scrutiny for anticompetitive business practices. Even Google has had a stab at the company, trying to disband its deal with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, a company that has received billions of dollars in Redmond support.
However, Google isn’t immune from similar allegations, and its own deal with Apple to be Safari’s default search engine hasn’t gone unnoticed by regulators. In 2021 alone, it reportedly paid $26 billion to Apple to keep that position (via Windows Central).
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