Google says it’s No. 1 search tool because users prefer it to rivals

The monopolisation trial is the first pitting the federal government against a US technology company in more than two decades. — Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP

Companies choose Alphabet Inc.’s Google as the default search engine for their browsers and smartphones because it is the best one, and not because of a lack of competition, a Google lawyer said Tuesday at the start of a high-stakes antitrust trial in Washington.

Consumers use Google "because it delivers value to them, not because they have to,” John Schmidtlein, a partner at Williams & Connolly LLP who is representing the company, said during his opening statements on the first day of the trial. "Users today have more search options and ways to access information online than ever before.”