Google's Sundar Pichai To Stand Witness In Antitrust Lawsuit Filed By Epic Games On Tuesday

In the ongoing antitrust lawsuit between Alphabet Inc. GOOG GOOGL and Epic Games Inc., Sundar Pichai is slated to testify next week. 

What Happened: Pichai will testify in a San Francisco federal court on Tuesday, reported Bloomberg, citing an Epic spokeswoman. The lawsuit initiated by Epic Games revolves around Google Play’s distribution, payment, and fee policies. 

Epic Games contends that these policies harm developers and inflate consumer prices.

Previously, Pichai testified in a Washington trial concerning the US Justice Department’s claims against Alphabet’s search business on Oct. 30 this year. 

His testimony in the upcoming trial will be crucial as Alphabet faces accusations of monopolistic behavior in the app market by Epic Games.

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Pichai is anticipated to be questioned on Google Play and Android operations, Alphabet’s agreements with developers and phone makers, and the company’s relationship with Apple Inc., as per a court filing last month. 

The trial will continue until early December, with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney also set to testify.

Google’s lawyers will have a 30-minute window to question Pichai about Google Play policies, business practices that promote competition, and Google’s counterclaims regarding Epic Games’ contract breach.

Why It Matters: Epic Games accused Alphabet of using “bribe and block” tactics to suppress competition in its Google Play app marketplace earlier this month. 

Epic Games’ lawyer contended that Google’s strategies of paying off rivals and preventing them from creating their app stores led to inflated prices, compromised quality, reduced consumer choices, and increased profits for Google.

Meanwhile, a Google executive, Jamie Rosenberg, defended the company’s revenue-sharing payments to smartphone manufacturers and carriers, asserting these were pivotal to maintaining the Android ecosystem during the Washington trial.

Rosenberg said that such competition allows Google to better compete against Apple, as the rivalry between the two tech giants is “as intense as it gets.”

Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

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