Google CEO Sundar Pichai emphasized the critical importance of 2025 for the company, urging employees to increase their pace amid growing competition in artificial intelligence and mounting regulatory challenges.
Speaking at a recent strategy meeting last week, sporting a holiday sweater, Pichai stressed the urgency of the moment, according to audio obtained by CNBC. “I think 2025 will be critical,” he said. “These are disruptive moments. In 2025, we need to be relentlessly focused on unlocking the benefits of this technology and solving real user problems.”
The company is betting big on its Gemini AI model and app, which executives hope will become Google’s next product to reach 500 million users. “Scaling Gemini on the consumer side will be our biggest focus next year,” Pichai told employees at the meeting.
The push comes as Google confronts increasing competition in its core search business from AI-powered alternatives. OpenAI’s planned search engine and Perplexity’s recent $500 million funding round at a $9 billion valuation have put pressure on Google to innovate quickly.
Pichai acknowledged the company’s need to catch up in some areas but remained optimistic about Google’s position. “In history, you don’t always need to be first but you have to execute well and really be the best in class as a product,” he told employees, CNBC reported.
The company also faces significant regulatory hurdles, including a federal ruling about its search market monopoly and scrutiny of its Chrome browser and ad tech practices. “It’s not lost on me that we are facing scrutiny across the world,” Pichai noted. “It comes with our size and success.”
Throughout the meeting, Pichai repeatedly emphasized the need for efficiency and staying “scrappy,” referencing Google’s early days under founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. “Often, constraints lead to creativity. Not all problems are always solved by headcount,” he said, following the company’s recent focus on cost-cutting and workforce reduction.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai gives employees strategy for 2025: Not all problems are always solved by… – Times of India
