Google would need to shift up to 2,000 employees for antitrust remedies, search head says

Testimony in Google 's antitrust search remedies trial that wrapped hearings Friday shows how the company is calculating possible changes proposed by the Department of Justice. Google head of search Liz Reid testified in court Tuesday that the company would need to divert between 1,000 and 2,000 employees, roughly 20% of Google's search organization, to carry out some of the proposed remedies, a source with knowledge of the proceedings confirmed. The testimony comes during the final days of the remedies trial, which will determine what penalties should be taken against Google after a judge last year ruled the company has held an illegal monopoly in its core market of internet search. The DOJ, which filed the original antitrust suit and proposed remedies, asked the judge to force Google to share its data used for generating search results, such as click data. It also asked for the company to remove the use of "compelled syndication," which refers to the practice of making certain dea ... Read full article.