Google Could Change Forever 

When you have to stick the word Reddit into every technical Google search you know it’s broken!

There is, without a doubt, a decrease in the quality and relevance of Google search results, over the past 5 years.

"There's already rumors that Google Search is indeed getting worse." No, not rumors, it's been quite apparent for the better part of a decade. Google's search is so bad because of the paid results and how heavily web pages are all optimized for it, it's been basically useless outside of searching for nearby food and it's only good at that because of the maps integration.

There is no way that a company owning 95% of the market is doing its best for the consumer. It simply doesn't need to try hard anymore.

I think you're misunderstanding the word "antitrust" at around 2:20. "Antitrust behavior" is not something a company does. Antitrust activity is something the _government_ does, to attack _trusts_ (which are what companies do). A trust is a group of companies that have made an agreement to collude to their mutual advantage, typically in a way that harms the consumer, the archetypal example being agreements to fix prices. So when businesses do something anticompetitive, that's not antitrust activity, that's _trust_ activity. And when the government steps in to prosecute these cartels, that's called antitrust activity. Nowadays, corporate trusts are very rare in the United States. So antitrust law is used mainly to prosecute individual businesses that seem to have a stranglehold on a market, called a virtual monopoly. These laws, which were intended to prosecute cartels, are now used to prosecute individual businesses for using anticompetitive practices to stifle competition, and to break up businesses when they are perceived as too dominant. Those are two separate kinds of action, but they are often intertwined. In Google's case, the latter may be brewing as a consequence of the former. In Nvidia's case, some years ago, the company was prosecuted for its anticompetitive secret agreements with PC manufacturers (which unfairly hindered competitors like AMD from competing), but the business itself was not broken up by the government. Just forced to pay a fine and do some "corporate culture" BS to "teach executives that this is not allowed to make sure it doesn't happen again," as if they didn't know it was illegal when they did it lol.

90% of my Google searches now end with “reddit”

I mean killing adblockers and not cleaning malware from their adsense network is clearly not a good or "innovative" thing to do

They broke up standard oil because they were a monopoly -how google has been allowed to operate in the same fashion for years is mind boggling

Google doesn't even show proper search results anymore.

I have just one problem with Google. No, two: 1) killing of its products - the Google graveyard 2) privacy issues/snooping that come with stalking in the name of ads, going a bit too far in this regard.

Google’s motto used to be “don’t be evil”

If they were a monopoly merely because they were the best, they wouldn't need to employ anti-competitive tactics.

I for one feel like Google Search, Chrome, and RU-vid have all taken a turn for the worse over the past few years.

"Europe pays a high price for its overregulation of the digital economy" No, it's US citizens who pay a very high price for being at the mercy of improperly regualted companies.

Amazon needs a bigger antitrust thing than Google does. Not on the customer side of things, but on the sales vendor side.

Google search has lately so worsened.

Google be like 3 Billion results. Only loads 8 results and no more results

Google Search, Google Chrome and YT used to be by far the best products in their respective categories. That's why everyone flocked to them. Then they started making their products worse and bloated with ads to the point that they only barely do what they were made to do. The longer they can keep you from finding the answer to your search, the more ads you will see.

It's always really frustrating to see a conversation say you don't break up a company unless they've done bad. You break them up because they drive up prices and stifle innovation. That means we're all paying more for less because those monopolies keep new players out. We don't even know what we've missed out on because monopolies have taken that from us. They don't have to actively be doing harm. The very nature of being a monopoly is harm enough.

Google singed a billions of dollar contract with the NSA in 2019. And we had NO insight into what it was about! Nuff said!

For those wondering: Firefox was born on being trampled over. Netscape Navigator would die around the time of the case and be reborn as Firefox.

My website completely died after Google’s August 13th algorithm! Web traffic was cut in half from their last change. Now we’re getting nothing and they’ve completely killed my 11-year business.

2:50 dude Google has has 90%+ market share for over a decade. This is way overdue.

Break it all up. Separate RU-vid, Search, Chrome, and Android. RU-vid is seriously the only game in town and the censorship that has led to crimes, anatomical names, types of death, Second Amendment content, and more is ridiculous. I’m tired of hearing SA’d and unalived. These things have correct terms.

I've worked in the ad business for 28 years and I can tell you when ad rates go up, it trickles. The sellers and corporations dont take a loss, you and I pay the hike. Keep that in mind when google's pals say its a victimless crime.

Amazon and facebook should be next

I'm old enough to remember when AT&T had been broken up because it had been a monopoly.

I am an SEO, I have observed quality articles go down and get replaced by poorly written articles for many sites. Only way out for businesses is to invest in ads. Last year Google's search algo update resulted in many quality sites loosing 90%+ traffic within days because Google considered those sites "unhelpful". Thereafter, it started showing Reddit (with which Google has its own alliance) in those top search results. Monopoly isn't necessarily bad, considering monopology is a proof of success, but using monopoly to build anti-consumer behavior is a bullshit. I really hope Google gets broken into 4-5 companies and search can be made better again.

I hate that google took over RU-vid. RU-vid was so much fun back in the early days. You could even send others users email. But Google removed that, why?

what's up with this anti-success argument? Makes no sense. It's anti-competitive because now if I'm a business owner, I have to lose way more to advertisers such as Google, which makes it more difficult for me to run my business.

The dude at the end (19:00) is wrong. Ingenuity comes with competition. Why should Google maximize their developmental departments if there is no reason to do so because there is no competition?

In the UK the Labour party is introducing legislation to make company directors *personally responsible* for the actions of the companies they direct. It's high time this was widened to all companies everywhere.

Amazon could also be split up. Separate companies for the store, cloud services, Amazon branded products, transportation, and warehouses.

How can it be anti-success if that success is predicated on things like stiffling competition, unjustified price hikes and corporate bribery?

The most outrageous thing Google did to me was blowing my left eardrum while going up 27 stories in an elevator to their office for an event. That thing went 27 stories in literally 7 seconds. It HURT like crazy.

I miss the days when Google would be focused on new and interesting things. Instead of blue sky projects they now spend their time with blinders on, working or either making mainstay products worse, or just cancelling them.

When they quietly got rid of the simple motto "Don't be evil" we all knew what was up!

Honestly, I think that Google being broken up would be for the better. It is such a dominating force not only in private life, but even in schools. They really needed this kick in the ass to get their act together.

David Friedberg's take is very pro monopoly. Anti-success would trigger if a company had more market share than any competitor. That could be 12% share when the nearest competitor has 8%, but to claim anti-success for a company with 90% of the market is ludicrous on the face and just whining because 'regulation bad'. Which has been happening for so many decades at this point, that it is just reflexive.

“Competition is good for everyone” except when it comes to the Fed. That monopoly is always allowed!

At one time Google was really good. But if you use their search engine or maps the emphasis now seems to be on ad revenue and pushing paying customers. I don't see much innovation coming out of Google. Despite what the experts say in this video, monopolies stifle innovation.

For every monopoly or duopoly in business, the companies involved offer some justification about "all the good that we do". However, it's a fact that over-concentration of power in business leads to greater inequality in society and less choice for consumers. Google's monopoly needs to be dealt with. In fact, it should have happened sooner. For quite some time, people in government were drinking the Koolaid about tech companies being a force for good in the world and that they should be left to "innovate" without much regulation. My career has been in tech, but definitely the "force for good" is long gone. I'm not anti-tech, but tech businesses should be held to the same scrutiny as historic monopolies such as railroads and oil. Removing monopoly power could short-term hurt the biggest companies, but the forces for innovation will eventually find ways to adjust to more competitive environments. Consider what could happen if companies making search engines knew they HAD to make better browsers because their competitors were also improving theirs?

Google's search results have been getting worse and worse for at least a decade now. I saw somewhere that they dont even actually search for what you put in, but instead search with thier own text to optimize revenue.

As someone who's been running ads on Google since 2005, I've definitely noticed the increase in cost per click over the last few years. It impacts everything.

Maybe if fines were more steep and actually had an impact, tech companies might change. A $500,000,000 fine is a rounding error on Google's yearly revenue.

What about Walmart, Amazon, Nestle, Johnson & Johnson?

they should break it up - any absolute power is always abused

Google has also been leaching from open source for a long time too! They take Android Open Source, then slap Google Play onto it. Oh and ChromeOS is just Linux, Debian specifically. However you can‘t even install Linux apps out of the box! Plus Chromium is open source, but it’s just Chrome, meaning Chrome leaches off the hard work of volunteers that improve Chromium. The whole philosophy of open source is that everybody who contributes gives back to the community so that everybody benefits. However Google just takes and only gives for good PR and only when it needs to.

break up all these corporate monopolies not just in tech and see how the economy booms

So they are being broken up because they were lying to get more money from the advertisers? They certainly made their search engine worse and they are extremely biased.

Watching this on a Google platform is wild, lol.

Well, Google's search engine has become quite poor over the last 10 years !

My comments are disappearing. Tldr: google leaches from open source projects. Chromium is chrome, android is open source but only the barebones, and ChromeOS is Linux.

Note how the DOJ's focus was the monopoly's impact on advertisers, not users like us. Cheer about the verdict all you like, none of the parties involved has consumer interests in mind.

There are many tech companies that hold a monopoly and need to face anti-trust regulations, from Amazon to Uber.

I hate Google but it's so hard to get by without using it. It listens, filters, and advertises to us in ways we don't even know. They should start with separating Google and RU-vid from each other.

If you search "German Shepard" Google will show you a Yorkshire terrier before an actual German shepherd. That's how useless it's become.

Breaking up Standard Oil didn't help as the Rockefellers still remained the largest shareholders as well as important positions in the executive boards of the 39 oil companies (as a result they held onto their monopoly in the oil industry) not to mention that they had diversified their oil wealth by investing into other businesses. Those who think that breaking up Big Tech will end their monopoly should be careful about what they're wishing for.

"The business of Google is not a search engine, the business of Google is knowing as much about you as they can know." ~ Nellie Bowles

What a brilliant opinion that guy had: "Uh I can't be a monopoly actually, you're just haters because I'm succesful and occupy the whole market because of my succes. So, you're actually just attacking my succes. Also, I don't serve ALL the ads, just an absolute majority by a long shot, so def not a monopoly."

oh wow an angel investor thinks that anti trust is a bad thing. womp womp

Hopefully Disney is NEXT!! Disney is definitely a monopoly and needs to be broken up!!

Google hasn't been useful in almost 10 years. It's bloated and absolutely annoying. I run it on nothing. Changed my pixel to GrapheneOS. The only thing they do well is their phone camera.

About time these companies get broken up. Next amazon and apple.

I don't even use google search anymore except on my phone for stupid stuff. The search engine has become irrelevant over the last two years.

12:50 Dude has a name that's incredibly fun to say. "Spensa wooba walla".

18:45 "Others still think that America should avoid turning into the EU regulating innovation into oblivion" Which innovation? Google search engine keeps getting worse, so many ads and garbage results that appear there only because of SEO. Lack of competition allows them to optimize their revenue sacrificing quality and face no consequences. Lack of regulation has been proven to not work for creating innovation

Historically, these end up costing the consumer. Funny how free products are a monopoly. Yet live nation/ticket master are ignored, charging customers aburd fees and controlling the secondary/scalping market.

As a small business owner I can for sure say Google rips us off in their ad prices but they're the only bottom funnel advertiser in town so we have no choice but to pay them what they charge

Something smells fishy. Wait, I’ll just Google it! 😂

The largest barrier to competition is almost always barriers to entry. That's what exclusive access agreements are about. It's the same in every industry.

That is a falsehood... just because Google altered their prices and "no one noticed", its more like there was NO PLACE to Complain or File a Complaint or Challenge made available AND When there was an option to draw attention to this, Google didn't act upon it, they just 'shined on' the consumer, because GOOGLE is the "BEST a.k.a. only place" to do significant advertising.

Both RU-vid and Android and ChromeOS would be MASSIVELY better without being tied exclusively to Google...

Unless they were going to be further regulations in place, forcing companies to "break up" is basically just slapping them on the wrist. They split into smaller companies who then all still obey and soon sell out to the parent company, so it becomes all the same company again under different names, like AT&T has done in the past.

Indian CEO vs Indian judge, the ultimate battle

Be evil - Google

They only dominate because of the monopoly. In reality their service has become garbage, especially with their implementing the crap AI.

in some ways, saying that Google has a monopoly on search is like saying the US government has a monopoly on the judicial system

The NFL holds a complete monopoly on the game of football. Unlike Google, which does have competitors, the NFL does not. Because of that, the NFL can charge millions of dollars for a 15 second ad during the Superbowl. Where's the outcry? Google does have competitors. One can still use Meta crawler, or Yahoo. There are options. People have choices. It's the average user who gave Google that give market share. It's just better at finding things than the other sites. But let's talk about the NFL's stranglehold on the sport of football. It is a business. It is for profit. But no one seems to be mad at them for having a monopoly that Google or Bill Gates could only dream of.

I think it's telling that the guy defending google saying "They've done orders of magnitude more good!" didn't name anything they did.

Honestly, as much as i respect google and use their services a lot, i think these lawsuits are fully justified and finally bring some competition into the space!

Another fabulous episode. My comment... 'about time'. One of the classiest and most thought-provoking channels on the internet! Thanks Dagogo.

I don’t prefer Google, but I’m forced to use it to find stuff effectively.

Google in the 90s: "Dont be evil" Google in the 20s:

Step 1: be a rich financial entity Step 2: own 20% in google Step 3: pay the government to sue & split google "because of monopoly" Step 4: obtain a brand new tech company Step 5: profit Remember, the same bankers that own google, pay prosecutors to destroy it

At the very least, split google ads from google chrome, or prevent them changing chrome to not support good ad-blockers.

I'm willing to accept some inconvenience in my life if it means Google gets broken up.

The fact that Google pays Mozilla to keep itself afloat and make people think that they are not monopolizing the search space is insane.

The quality of the Google search results have dropped noticeably. It's a disgrace.

These big companies make life worse for us all. Last thing I want all day is to be advertised to and my tech monopolised by adverts. It sickens me. I will block them as much as I can.

Car Insurance, road tax and BBC licence are a shyte monopoly too.

"regulating innovation into oblivion"....what innovation is Google pursuing, currently, or have done, recently?

Google search is so bad now, I have to add "reddit" to all my questions.

Companies when a monopoly company is destroyed: happy sounds Same company when they become one: awkward side eye

I really dislike Google for their inappropriate ads. I'm a guy and I'm always getting ads for some strange game with shameful art.

Pumping RU-vid full of ads, then blocking users from seeing content (which Google never made ... let's not forget RU-vid exists because of the content its users create) if they don't allow ads or pay an increasing subscription fee is one of the practices why I think Google deserves this and I hope more companies will get scrutinized this way.

About damn time. AT&T was a monoploy and stiffled all inovation. Once they were broken up a lot of the telecommunications technology we use now was allowed to have a chance at widespread implementation.

If nothing else, it’s just an unethical company.

"don't be evil" remember how quickly they back-paddled on that one? they already knew they couldn't adhere to it almost immediately

When the first 2 pages of a Google search is “Sponsored” links