Oracle: Google Has Generated $31 Billion in Revenue From Android

An Oracle attorney revealed in a courtroom last week that Android has brought in $31 billion in revenue and $22 billion in profits for Google.

Since Google has never shared these types of numbers related to Android in the past, it should come as no surprise that the company is none too pleased that Oracle’s lawyer has spilled them now. While ads are still the biggest component of their revenue and profit, this is still a pretty big number for Google, over the course of 7 years. Oracle acquired Java when it bought Sun Microsystems in 2010, and promptly sued Google for using its libraries’ API within Android without paying a dime for it. Wall Street, which has criticised Google for spending money on efforts that don’t deliver an immediate payoff, will now have a better understanding of how big of a money-making engine its Android business really is.

The money was made from advertising and Google Play, as the company doesn’t charge a license fee for manufacturers to license Android. The information was spilled during a court hearing in the legal battle between Oracle and Google. Google had hoped to end the case.

On January 20th, following the original claims, Google urged a San Francisco federal judge to redact portions of the public transcript, claiming that the Oracle lawyer leaked out “extremely sensitive information” that was supposedly marked “Attorney’s Eyes Only”. Stating that this information is highly sensitive and could “have significant negative effects on Google’s business”.

Oracle is seeking more than $1 billion in damages because it extended its claims that cover newer versions of the Android operating system. After that request was shot down on January 19, the next day Google begged the court [PDF] to reconsider.