Microsoft Considered Investing Billions in Apple to Compete With Google Search

Microsoft Corp. weighed investing multiple billions in Apple Inc. in 2016 in order to secure a deal to make its Bing search engine the default on the Safari browser and better compete with Alphabet Inc.’s dominant Google search, a Microsoft vice president testified Thursday in court.

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella met with Apple CEO Tim Cook as part of the talks, said Jon Tinter, a Microsoft business development vice president who is on the stand during the US Justice Department’s antitrust trial in Washington against Alphabet. Microsoft would have taken a loss on the investment, Tinter said, but it would have bolstered Bing eventually gaining more share and revenue.