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Searching For An Answer For Google's Dominance

In this March 23, 2010 file photo, a surveillance camera is seen in front of the Google China headquarters in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)
In this March 23, 2010 file photo, a surveillance camera is seen in front of the Google China headquarters in Beijing, China. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

Critics say Google unfairly squashes its competition, like Standard Oil a century ago, or AT&T a generation ago. Is it time for a trust-busting government to intervene?

Guests:

Charles Duhigg, journalist, author, New York Times contributor. (@cduhigg)

Harry First, professor and co-director of the New York University School of Law’s Competition, Innovation and Information Law program, co-author of “The Microsoft Antitrust Cases: Competition Policy for the Twenty-First Century.”

Carl Shapiro, professor of business and economics and the University of California at Berkeley.

From The Reading List:

New York Times: The Case Against Google— “Google has succeeded where Genghis Khan, communism and Esperanto all failed: It dominates the globe. Though estimates vary by region, the company now accounts for an estimated 87 percent of online searches worldwide.”

Google is the behemoth of search. Oh, sure, there have been other search engines… but “Ask Jeeves” never entered the language as a verb synonymous with figuring out where on the vast internet to go to find something out. And many people wonder whether Google is becoming too dominant, vulnerable to legal action after becoming a ubiquitous player in search worldwide, and the undisputed giant of online ad revenue. Has Google’s success crossed the line into monopoly? This hour, On Point: A tech giant girds for battle. When is big and successful…too big and successful? —Ray Suarez

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