Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai set to testify in Google Play trial
Alphabet Inc. Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai is set to be called by Epic Games Inc. to testify in an antitrust trial over Google Play policies that could threaten billions of dollars in revenue generated by the app marketplace.
Pichai and Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney have been listed as witnesses in a trial scheduled to start Nov. 6 in San Francisco federal court over whether Google Play policies are unlawful and thwart competition, according to court filings. The high-stakes fight kicked off after Epic sued Alphabet’s Google in 2020 claiming that its app store’s distribution, payment and fee policies are unlawful.
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Pichai is also scheduled to testify in coming weeks in the ongoing Washington trial in a suit brought by the US Justice Department accusing Alphabet of maintaining a monopoly in web search.
Last month, Alphabet tentatively settled claims in complaints brought by consumers and state attorneys general that Google Play abuses its control over Android mobile applications. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed in court filings. The settlement, if finalized, would narrow the sweeping antitrust fight, leaving Google to defend against Epic and
