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.

Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella met with Apple CEO Tim Cook as part of the talks. (REUTERS)

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.