Google’s “enormous” payments to Samsung to install Gemini revealed
In the ongoing antitrust trial against Google, testimony this week revealed that the tech giant provides Samsung with an “enormous sum of money” each month to ensure the pre-installation of its Gemini AI application on Samsung devices, according to Bloomberg. This revelation comes as Judge Amit Mehta has already ruled that Google’s search engine operates as an illegal monopoly, leading to legal arguments between Google’s lawyers and the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the severity of potential penalties.
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Peter Fitzgerald, Google’s vice president of platforms and device partnerships, testified on Monday that these payments to Samsung commenced in January of this year. This arrangement follows the court’s finding that Google violated antitrust law, partly due to similar agreements concerning search with Apple, Samsung, and other companies. Notably, when Samsung launched its Galaxy S25 series in January, Gemini was integrated as the default AI assistant, activated by a long press of the power button, effectively sidelining Samsung’s own Bixby assistant.
The Information further reports that Fitzgerald testified that other companies, including Perplexity and Microsoft, had also approached Samsung with proposals to pre-install their respective AI assistant applications. However, a DOJ lawyer pointed out that Google’s letters attempting to revise its deals with phone manufacturers, presented by the company during the hearing, were only sent the previous week, just before the trial commenced. Additionally, internal presentations shown in court reportedly indicated that Google “was considering more restrictive distribution agreements that would have required partners to preinstall Gemini alongside Search and Chrome,” according to The Information.
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Bloomberg reports that Fitzgerald described the Gemini deal as a two-year agreement involving fixed monthly payments, alongside a revenue-sharing component where Google provides Samsung with a percentage of the advertising revenue generated by the Gemini app. DOJ lawyer David Dahlquist characterized the fixed monthly payment as an “enormous sum,” though the precise amount remains undisclosed.
The outcome of these hearings could have significant implications. If the DOJ prevails, Google might be prohibited from entering into future default placement deals, could be forced to sell its Chrome browser, and might be required to license a substantial portion of the data that underpins Google Search. In contrast, Google has argued that it should only be required to cease its default placement agreements.
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