Apple Passed on Buying Bing and Making DuckDuckGo Default Browser to Avoid Challenging Google

Apple rejected buying Microsoft's Bing search engine and making DuckDuckGo the default for Safari's private mode, passing up chances to challenge Google.

Newly unsealed court records show Apple began considering a Bing purchase in 2018 after talks between CEOs Tim Cook and Satya Nadella.

Apple held talks with DuckDuckGo from 2017-2019 on making it Safari's default in private browsing, even drafting a revenue-share contract.

Apple executive John Giannandrea testified Google's dominance and superior quality led Apple to reject Bing and DuckDuckGo deals.

Some Apple officials saw potential benefits in deals with Bing and DuckDuckGo for leverage against Google, but Giannandrea dismissed this view.