# Lack of Competition

Google owns the vast majority of the web search market. When a single company dominates any market it often results in:

* An Inferior Product - Since competition is not constantly spurring innovation it is easy for products/services to stagnate.
  * Even if a company is pushing forward with innovation the lack of competitors using innovative methods to improve search may result in a myopic focus on micro gains within existing technologies.
* Inferior Customer Service - Since there is no alternative, customers are forced to work with the company on it's terms.

{% hint style="info" %}
We are aware of several robust competitors to Google including Bing and DuckDuckGo. We believe they are doing great work BUT that they are competing with Google within it's own paradigm and that this will be ultimately unsuccessful. Thus we still see a space for other competitors like us.
{% endhint %}

## Further Resources

* Gilad Edelman. [Google's Antitrust Cases: A Guide for the Perplexed](https://www.wired.com/story/google-antitrust-lawsuits-explainer/). wired, 12/18/2020.
* [Press Release from the Department of Justice on Suing Google For Violating Antitrust Laws](https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-monopolist-google-violating-antitrust-laws). DOJ, 10/20/20.
  * Includes link to download entire complaint that has been filed by DOJ.


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://nextsearch.gitbook.io/next-proposal/whats-wrong-with-web-search/lack-of-competition.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.
