Eddy Cue explains why Apple has no plans to develop a search engine

Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of services, explained why the company has no intention of creating its own search engine to compete with Google. In a motion filed with the Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday, Cue stated that building a search engine would be “economically risky” for Apple, costing billions of dollars and taking many years to develop. This motion is part of Apple’s involvement in the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google, which could potentially affect Apple’s $20 billion deal with Google, where Google is the default search engine on Apple devices.

Cue emphasized that instead of competing with Google, collaborating with the tech giant made more sense. He pointed out that if the DOJ forces changes to their deal, Apple would face two undesirable outcomes. First, if Apple allowed users to choose Google as the default search engine without receiving revenue, Google would gain valuable access to Apple’s user base at no cost. Alternatively, if Apple removed Google from Safari, it would negatively affect both Apple and its customers since most users prefer Google’s search engine.

Cue also highlighted that developing a general-purpose search engine would require Apple to incorporate targeted advertising, which goes against its privacy-centric business model. He further stated that the future of search could be driven by AI chatbots rather than traditional search engines. In the filing, Cue argued that only Apple can determine the best approach to serve its users and warned that the DOJ’s proposed measures could limit Apple’s ability to meet customer needs effectively.