Google’s ‘Enormous’ Payments to Samsung for Gemini Pre-Installation: A Deeper Look

Google is reportedly paying Samsung significant sums to pre-install its AI app Gemini on smartphones, as revealed in an ongoing antitrust case.

Ever scratched your head wondering why your shiny new Samsung phone is pre-loaded with Google’s Gemini AI app? Spoiler alert: it’s not because Google woke up feeling generous. Bloomberg dropped the bombshell that Google’s been showering Samsung with what can only be called a ‘mountain of cash’ every month to keep Gemini in the spotlight. This juicy detail emerged from an antitrust case that’s basically turning into a tell-all about Google’s playbook.

In a courtroom revelation that had everyone’s ears perked up, Peter Fitzgerald, a top dog at Google, admitted this lucrative partnership started in January and isn’t going anywhere for at least two years. The deal? A steady stream of monthly payments plus a slice of Gemini’s ad revenue pie. But here’s where it gets spicy: the actual numbers are hush-hush, so we’re all left playing a guessing game about just how much Google’s willing to spend to stay on top.

Google’s no stranger to this kind of strategy, though. They’ve been in the hot seat before for supposedly cornering the search engine market by throwing cash at companies to make their services the go-to option. A judge has already called them out on it in a similar case, and now everyone’s waiting to see what the consequences will be. (Spoiler: probably not a slap on the wrist.)

And if you thought that was wild, get this: between 2020 and 2023, Google reportedly forked over a cool $8 billion to Samsung just to keep its apps as the default. With numbers that big, you’ve got to ask: if Google’s throwing money around like it’s confetti, why not toss a little our way for putting up with all the pre-installed apps we never asked for? Just saying.