Milgrom testifies in Google's defense

 Paul Milgrom forwards me this account of his testimony as an expert for the defense in the DOJ v Google trial on display ads. Expert testimony is partly theater, and parts of the article read like a theater review.

Google’s Lawyers Pitch Competing Explanation of Ad Bidding, Reframe Case in Strong Day for Defense  by Tom Blakely

"Tuesday was dominated by the testimony of Google expert Dr. Paul Milgrom, Professor at Stanford University and the Chairman of “Auctionomics.”

"Dr. Milgrom is Google’s counterweight to the government’s Dr. Ravi.

"As soon as his testimony began, I realized he would be a formidable witness, not just because of his outstanding intellect and subject matter expertise, but because he is the kind of witness that is simply challenging for a counterparty to deal with. An older gentleman, he was equal parts charming, intelligent, poised, unflagging while enduring hours on the stand, and spoke with the quiet confidence and humility of the wisdom of his years.

...

"By presenting with charisma, charm, wit, and as one person described to me during a break, “grandpa vibes,” an outside observer who hails from most of the world’s cultures intrinsically wants to like Prof. Milgrom"

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Yesterday's post also touched on expert witnesses for the defense, from the DOJ's perspective:

Friday, September 27, 2024

Are economist for sale?

The export market for fighter planes

 Here's an article from a recent issue of Foreign Affairs, about why China's export market for fighter jets is not taking off, even though there jets are now very good. The sub-headline gets right to the point: countries buy weapons from allies, not potential adversaries, and are looking for strategic relationships as well as hardware.

The World Doesn’t Want Beijing’s Fighter Jets. Snazzy weapons mean a lot less if you don’t have friends.  by By Richard Aboulafia,

"Fighter jet exports represent a unique combination of hard and soft power. If a country can sell fighter jets abroad, that means it can attract customers for sophisticated weapons that can sell for upwards of $100 million, which in turn proves that the country has appeal as a strategic partner.

...