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On 7 May 2025, Alphabet’s share price fell by 7%. The reason? A simple statement: Google traffic is plummeting on Apple’s browser. “Unheard of in 20 years,” according to Eddy Cue, the author of these remarks. But then how can we explain the decline in Google traffic on Safari? Ad’s Up Consulting answers your questions.
Being the market leader is a rather comfortable position to be in. And Google certainly wouldn’t disagree. For more than 20 years, the search engine has maintained a market share of over 80%. The problem lies in the practices used by the web giant, which has a tendency to abuse its monopoly.
It was for this reason that Google was convicted of abuse of its dominant position in April 2025. Today, the trial continues to determine the penalty to be imposed. It was in this context that Eddy Cue was questioned. During his hearing, Apple’s senior vice president of services made a shocking statement: for the first time in 20 years, the company has seen a decline in Google traffic on Safari.
The consequences of this revelation were immediate. The very next day, Alphabet’s share price fell by 7.15%, representing a loss of nearly £115 billion in market capitalisation.
Eddie Cue was questioned during the trial, not about the decline in Google traffic on Safari, but rather about an agreement between Apple and the web giant.
Indeed, for Google to maintain its leading position, it must appear to be the obvious choice. That is why the company pays Apple $20 billion to ensure that Google remains the default search engine on the browser.
Although it has been challenged by judges for abuse of a dominant position, this partnership is very lucrative for Apple. Eddy Cue even claims to “lose sleep” at the thought of losing it (and the revenue that goes with it).
For Google, the defeat is twofold. On the one hand, its market value is falling. But this may be temporary, given the volatility of the market. On the other hand, the number one search engine is gradually losing its monopoly. This is because Safari is the second most popular browser in the world, with over 18% market share and 1 billion active users. If traffic declines here, Google is likely to lose millions of users. And that is a much more lasting problem.
The decline in Google traffic on Safari is a first in 20 years. But why now? The answer is simple: competition from AI.
Today, internet users can choose between Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and other artificial intelligence models. Given that these models provide more human, intuitive and relevant responses, it is not surprising that internet users are flocking to them, to the detriment of more traditional search engines.
Moreover, this new behaviour is encouraging browsers to reinvent themselves. Eddie Cue is therefore considering diversifying his offering. This would enable him to offset the loss of revenue associated with the end of the partnership with Google.
While the decline in Google traffic on Safari is a blow to the web giant, it also reveals opportunities for advertisers. Now, you can position yourself on Google, but also on ChatGPT, Perplexity, and more. Feel free to contact our SEO agency to optimise your campaigns.
Leslie