Microsoft reportedly considered selling its Bing search engine to Apple, the latest bombshell revelation from Google’s antitrust trial.

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft execs met with Apple’s Eddy Cue in 2020 to discuss selling the company’s Bing search engine to Apple. The Cupertino company was evidently interested in the possibility and the potential it provided to reduce its reliance on Google.

Bloomberg’s sources say the discussions were only preliminary, however, and never progressed to advanced talks.

It’s hard to image how much different the search market would be if Apple had acquired Bing. Rumors have circulated for years that Apple may be interested in creating its own search engine, and purchasing Bing would certainly have jump started the company’s efforts.

At the same time, however, with the rise of generative AI, Microsoft is poised to pose the first real threat that Google has faced in decades. Microsoft may ultimately be quite happy that Apple never pursued the deal.