Tim Sweeney's Credibility Trumps Sundar Pichai's, According To Juror In Google-Epic Games Trial

One of the factors that went against Alphabet Inc.'s GOOG GOOGL Google in the Epic Games trial was credibility.

What Happened: One of the jurors in the Google-Epic Games trial found the latter's CEO, Tim Sweeney, more credible than Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

"A #GooglePlay juror interviewed by my colleague @xy0o0 found @EpicGames CEO @TimSweeneyEpic to be Sweeney "very honest," "a down-to-earth person," and more credible than @Google CEO @sundarpichai," said Mike Swift, a reporter for MLex, reporting from the trial hearings.

A #GooglePlay juror interviewed by my colleague @xy0o0 found @EpicGames CEO @TimSweeneyEpic to be Sweeney "very honest," "a down-to-earth person," and more credible than @Google CEO @sundarpichai #Fortnite #antitrust

— Mike Swift (@Swiftstories) December 13, 2023

The juror's impression of Pichai being less credible than Sweeney was not based only on courtroom testimonies and appearances.

According to the court's findings, Google intentionally deleted chats in a bid to suppress evidence. This was not just something that happened amongst lower or mid-level employees – it went all the way to the top with Pichai.

See Also: How Did Epic Games’ Showdown With Google Differ From Apple? CEO Tim Sweeney Says It Was Like Ice And Fire

To make matters worse, Pichai and other Google employees admitted that they did not change the auto-delete setting for chats even after they were made aware of it.

Federal judge James Donato, who oversaw the trial, was seething. He called it a "a frontal assault on the fair administration of justice" and said he will "get to the bottom of who is responsible", outside the trial.

This played a role in one of the jurors finding Sweeney more credible and "very honest" than Pichai.

But the juror, the only #Android user on the jury, was particularly concerned about Google's secrecy and its deletion of chat history, saying, "I just think they need a refresher on integrity a little bit there." #appstore #antitrust #fortnite pic.twitter.com/geg5Y1Eq2x

— Mike Swift (@Swiftstories) December 13, 2023

Why It Matters: Fortnite-creator Epic Games launched an antitrust lawsuit against Google and Apple Inc. AAPL three years ago, alleging that these two companies used their monopoly over Play Store and App Store, respectively, saying they harmed both consumers and software developers.

While Epic lost the suit against Apple, its win against Google could upend the latter's Play Store model.

Google's Play Store commissions have come under increasing scrutiny around the world – from Australia to South Korea, India, and the Netherlands. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act will likely force Google and Apple to offer alternate payment options.

Photo by World Economic Forum on Flickr

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