Sundar Pichai says antitrust trials may drag for years: ‘Really harms Google…’

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said it will take many years to resolve Google’s antitrust battles, implying that they do not pose an immediate threat to the company’s business.

He said, “It’s going to take time for it to play out. Where we think it really harms our ability to innovate on behalf of our users, we are going to be vigorous in defending ourselves.”

This comes as Google is embroiled in two separate antitrust trials brought by the US Justice Department, which alleges that the company illegally dominates the digital advertising market and online search. The ads trial kicked off in court this month while in the search case Google lost.

Sundar Pichai said, “We definitely disagree with the ruling, but it’s still in the middle of the remedies phase. And you know, we will appeal and this process will likely take many years.”

To explain how long appeals can take, Sundar Pichai pointed to Google’s victory against a €1.5 billion ($1.7 billion) antitrust fine in the European Union General Court last week which came more than four years after it was levied.

Sundar Pichai has also announced a new $120 million ‘Global AI Opportunity Fund’ which is aimed at expanding AI education and training across the world, with a focus on local languages and partnerships with nonprofits and NGOs.

Reflecting on his own journey, he shared a personal story, saying, “Growing up in Chennai, India, with my family, the arrival of each new technology improved our lives in meaningful ways. I didn’t have much access to one growing up. When I came to graduate school in the US, there were labs full of machines I could use anytime I wanted – it was mind-blowing.”