I wasn't criticising Google on this point; 
    it's an obvious part of capitalism.

Except it isn't really. Capitalism the theory may stipulate that an idealized company doesn't want competition but in the real world people run companies and everyone is a different.

Google as a company (speaking from insider experience as a former employee, But not in any official capacity) values competition. It provides a way to measure your success as a company. Google loves measuring things it's so deeply ingrained into their DNA they can't help it. Ranking themselves against other search engines is a vital part of how they work. They would quite possibly be lost without it and very definitely be a different company without it. Google loves competition.