Tech giant Apple ponders major revamp targeting Google, while Britain prepares potential investigation
Revamped Article:
Hola! Google, baby mama of Alphabet, experienced its worst battering of shares since October on Wednesday, taking a 7.5% nose-dive. The slump, which obliterated around $150 billion from Big Tech's market value, was initiated by Apple's chief, Eddy Cue, dropping a bombshell. He hinted that the iPhone giant is mulling over integrating AI search providers like OpenAI or Anthropic into its Safari browser.
This radical shift could rattle Google's decades-long reign over the search engine throne. Analyst Matt Britzman from Hargreaves Lansdown pointed out that
Last quarter may have been rockin' for their numbers, but this announcement hints that Google's dominance may be up for grabs. Cue explained in the ongoing US antitrust case against Google, how generative AI is basically shaping user behavior in a big way. He suggested that this shift towards AI-powered search is inevitable.
But it's important to note that the 7.5% selloff might be an overreaction, considering Google's stock is already trading at a discounted rate. Search revenue hasn't missed a beat yet, even with the rising popularity of ChatGPT. Don't count Google out just yet, it still has a golden opportunity to lead in the broader AI-driven web.
In the United Kingdom, the tides are turning. Google finds itself under the magnifying glass of regulators. In January, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation to determine if Google's monopoly is inhibiting competition, a move urged by the fact that 90% of UK search traffic runs through Google. The CMA also questions whether consumers and advertisers are getting a fair shake in this game, and if AI entrants could bring a breath of fresh air to the competition.
With both US and UK regulators cracking down on the search Titan and Apple showing signs of steering away from Google's wing, it seems that the crown of the search engine realm may be slipping away.
Now let's talk trends. Google may rule the roost with a market share of around 87% to just above 90%. Although its market share has been on a gradual decline since late 2024, hovering in the high 89% range for most of 2025. Smaller players like Bing, Yandex, and even privacy-focused engines like DuckDuckGo are nibbling at the edge, searching for a piece of Google's pie. Newer faces and AI-powered search providers are making their way into the scene, stirring up competition in a market that was once dominated by Google.
Sources:[1] (https://theverbose.com/google-market-share-in-2025/)[2] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Search)[3] (https://www.statista.com/statistics/335534/google-global-search-market-share-by-region/)[4] (https://www.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/desktop/worldwide/)[5] (https://www.respectabletech.com/articles/artificial-intelligence/how-ai-is-changing-the-search-engine-landscape-in-2025)
- The sudden decline in Google's stock value, amounting to a loss of approximately $150 billion, indicates a rebalance in the technology markets, with competitors like Apple exploring integrating AI search providers.
- This integration could potentially dethrone Google from its long-held position atop the search engine markets, as suggested by analyst Matt Britzman.
- Despite the slump in share prices, Google still maintains a strong market position, with around 87-90% market share.
- Regulatory bodies in the United States and the United Kingdom are increasingly scrutinizing Google's monopoly in the search engine markets, which could further disrupt Google's dominance.
- The US antitrust case against Google and Apple's shift away from Google's services highlights the growing influence of technology and politics in general-news.
- The arrival of newer AI-powered search providers and the growing competition from smaller players like Bing, Yandex, and DuckDuckGo suggests a shifting landscape in the technology-driven finance and business arenas.
