Apple considered replacing Google with DuckDuckGo as its private browsing default search engine. DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg testified that Apple seemed genuinely interested, engaging in discussions from 2016 to 2019. However, Apple’s existing Google contract posed challenges. John Giannandrea, an Apple executive, was initially unaware of the switch but raised concerns about DuckDuckGo’s privacy marketing. Despite DuckDuckGo’s efforts and promising market share estimates, the partnership didn’t materialize, leaving the deal “dead” by 2019. DuckDuckGo also pursued similar arrangements with other companies but faced roadblocks due to their Google contracts.
The CEO of DuckDuckGo revealed in recent testimony that Apple once seriously considered replacing Google as the default search engine for private browsing on its products with DuckDuckGo. This revelation came to light during testimony in a federal court case against Google, where DuckDuckGo CEO Gabriel Weinberg shared insights into the negotiations between DuckDuckGo and Apple.
According to Weinberg, it appeared that Apple had a genuine interest in this endeavor. He noted that the Apple representatives they engaged with were themselves DuckDuckGo users who valued privacy. Throughout several meetings and phone calls spanning from 2016 to 2019, both companies explored this possibility. Throughout these discussions, Apple’s existing contract with Google to serve as the default search engine in its Safari browser was often a significant point of contention.
The government’s case alleges that Google’s exclusive agreements with phone and browser manufacturers unfairly hindered competition in the general search market by limiting the distribution of rival search engines. Google, in response, denies any wrongdoing.
DuckDuckGo, a privacy-focused search engine and private company, competes directly with Google. It offers various privacy-oriented products aimed at reducing user tracking across the internet.
DuckDuckGo first received a response from Apple regarding the idea of becoming the default search engine for private browsing in 2016. They asserted that their search engine significantly reduced tracking compared to other search engines, even when in private browsing mode.
In 2017, DuckDuckGo secured a meeting with Craig Federighi, a senior vice president at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. During this meeting, they presented data highlighting what Apple users expected from private browsing mode, which Weinberg found compelling. DuckDuckGo proposed integrating its content into Apple’s search modules, including Apple News, Maps, Music, and TV. Weinberg left the meeting with a positive impression.
DuckDuckGo executives returned to Cupertino the following year, presenting visual concepts of how their search engine would look once integrated into Apple services. Weinberg believed Apple was genuinely interested and saw the possibility of this integration happening in the next year’s release.
However, testimony from Apple’s side portrayed a slightly different narrative. John Giannandrea, Apple’s senior vice president of machine learning and artificial intelligence, joined the company in 2018 and stated that he was unaware of Apple’s consideration of a default search engine switch. He did mention discussions about potential drawbacks, primarily concerning DuckDuckGo’s privacy marketing, which he believed was incongruent with certain details, possibly related to sharing user information with Microsoft due to a Bing arrangement.
In September 2018, DuckDuckGo returned to Apple headquarters to discuss integration further, with Apple expressing consideration for the 2019 release. However, lingering concerns, particularly related to the Google contract, emerged as a barrier.
DuckDuckGo received documentation from Apple after the 2018 holidays, outlining the revenue share if they were to become the default search engine. DuckDuckGo estimated that its market share would significantly increase in private browsing mode if chosen as the default.
By the summer of 2019, DuckDuckGo began to realize that the partnership would not come to fruition. Apple did not announce the integration during its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. Following a meeting, Weinberg concluded that the deal was “dead.”
DuckDuckGo also explored similar arrangements with other companies like Samsung, Mozilla, and Opera to become the default option in their private browsing modes. However, these negotiations did not result in a deal, as each company’s existing Google contract appeared to be a significant impediment. DuckDuckGo eventually ceased pursuing this model.
