In a notable development during Google's (GOOGL) ongoing antitrust trial, it has surfaced that a contractual arrangement with Lenovo's Motorola (LNVGY) has hindered PerplexityAI from being installed as the default assistant on new Motorola devices. This revelation came to light through testimony provided by Dmitry Shevelenko, the Chief Business Officer of Perplexity.
While Perplexity's AI application will be preloaded on new Motorola devices, it will not be prominently featured on the home screen. This limitation arises from Google’s existing commitments, which prevent any alterations to the default AI assistant on these devices. Although both Perplexity and Motorola expressed mutual interest in making Perplexity's AI the default, Google's contractual stipulations remain a significant barrier.
Judge Amit Mehta is presiding over the antitrust proceedings, where these contractual dynamics are being closely examined as part of broader scrutiny into Google's market practices.
