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Google pays Apple $20 billion annually to remain the default search engine on iOS, a deal exposed during the DOJ antitrust trial that found Google an illegal monopolist. The piece examines how AI is disrupting this model: Apple now also partners with OpenAI (no cash changes hands, just distribution), Microsoft invested billions in OpenAI to power Bing, and generative AI search grew 525% in 2024. AI Overviews reduce click-through rates by 34.5%, threatening the ad-click revenue model. The September 2025 ruling banned exclusive search contracts but allowed continued payments with genuine user choice. European DMA enforcement added fines and data-sharing mandates. Smaller players like DuckDuckGo depend on Bing infrastructure and can't match hyperscaler compute access. Publisher licensing deals (News Corp, AP, FT) are creating a new content economy. The piece concludes that platform power, not just technology merit, will determine winners in the AI search era.

The £20 Billion Handshake

Exploring the intersections of artificial intelligence, decentralised cognition, posthuman ethics, society and culture.