In a New York courtroom on Friday, Sundar Pichai, the chief executive of Google, stated that he had never engaged in discussions regarding a potential acquisition of Ozy Media.
Sundar Pichai's Testimony Crucial in Ozy Media Trial
Pichai's testimony carries significant weight in the ongoing trial of Carlos Watson, the founder of Ozy. Watson is accused of providing false information about his company's financial performance, funding, and audience data to investors and lenders over three years.
In court filings and during the trial, the government accused Watson of making a false claim to a potential investor regarding Ozy's supposed $600 million takeover offer from Google.
Although the indictment did not explicitly mention the company's name, evidence and testimonies presented during the trial left no doubt that Mr. Watson was referring to the search giant.
Defense Denies $600 Million Google Offer Claim
According to a Google executive's testimony on Thursday (June 13), Watson would have had to resign from Ozy to accept the role, which Google acknowledged could potentially impact the digital media start-up.
During the hiring discussions, Google contemplated a potential investment of approximately $25 million in Ozy to assist in the transition, as Pichai stated during his brief testimony, The New York Times reported.
However, Pichai clarified that Google had carefully evaluated the situation and had no intention of acquiring Ozy outright. During his testimony on Friday (June 14) in US District Court in the Eastern District of New York, he did not discuss a potential takeover or mention a $600 million amount.
Shannon Frison, a defense counsel for Ozy, firmly refuted the government's accusation that Watson had disclosed a $600 million takeover offer from Google to an investor. In a statement on Friday, Frison declared the claim completely false.
Watson has pleaded not guilty for all the charges brought against him. If found guilty, the potential consequences could include a lengthy prison sentence of up to 37 years.
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