In Australia, Google users, advertisers and business partners have begun to worry about losing Google, which has a 94% share of the country's search market. The interconnected nature of Google's products means that devices including Android phones, Chromebook laptops and Nest smart speakers could be impaired without search. Reason to worryThe many companies that get paid in one way or another from Google search revenue have reason to worry, too. In the United Kingdom, with about 2-1/2 times the population of Australia, Google spent $1.5 billion to become the default search engine on a variety of devices in 2019. Gadget hitAustralian electronics chains such as JB Hi-Fi Ltd, Harvey Norman Holdings Ltd and Wesfarmers Ltd-owned Officeworks could also take a hit because they stock gadgets that have Google's search engine built-in.

Source: The Edge Markets February 13, 2021 09:56 UTC