What Did Google Do This Week? [FREE ISSUE]
Google had an incredibly litigious week, and still made buckets of cash.
EDITOR NOTE: WDGDTW is moving to Beehiiv soon. No issue next week due to travel.
GOOGLE HAS KILLER WEEK IN COURT, MAKES BILLIONS
Google faced legal battles on pretty much every front this week. The antitrust pressure sharpened with fresh scrutiny over Search and AdTech as US courts weigh remedies including Chrome breakup. In Russia, Google was found guilty of disclosing military casualties. Meanwhile, in India, Google settled the Android TV antitrust case while winning regulator clearance. Back home, a May 2 hearing looms over digital ads practices. Meanwhile, DeepMind employees pushed back over Israel-linked research deals, highlighting internal unrest.
None of this chaos dented Alphabet's earnings. First-quarter results beat Wall Street estimates, driven by strong search ad sales and an unexpected $8 billion boost from its SpaceX stake. Revenue hit $89.3 billion, up 11% year-on-year. YouTube alone pulled $9.5 billion in ad revenue, highlighting YouTube’s emerging role as Alphabet’s new lynchpin. Despite continued tariff threats, Google's margins remain firm.
Amidst all the noise, Google was still busy retooling products. Chrome’s controversial third-party cookie phase-out was quietly paused, and Google won’t offer a user choice prompt—exposing it to fresh privacy criticism even as it sunset its Privacy Sandbox project. At the same time, Chrome’s ad dominance was valued by rivals at over $50 billion. In mobile, Google reportedly paid Samsung huge sums to make Gemini the default AI app, a deal now central to the ongoing antitrust case. Meanwhile, OpenAI, Meta, and Microsoft are courting Samsung to counter Google's dominance. Meanwhile, products are being axed: Google will end support for Nest thermostats. Messaging updates included sensitive content warnings in Google Messages.
Security made headlines too. Google’s OAuth protocols were abused in DKIM phishing attacks, while a dangerous Android hack prompted emergency patches. Google also started scanning user photos, igniting new privacy debates.
Ad tools evolved too. Google Ads rolled out tree-table views and launched Checkout on Merchant Demand Gen to simplify advertiser journeys. In Search, YouTube’s AI Overviews are being tested, aligning with Google's broader pivot toward AI-native experiences. Enterprise AI was another growth vector. At Cloud Next, Google wrapped up major announcements, including new tools for real-time interaction and AI-driven admin task automation. Mobility AI efforts targeting urban transport were unveiled, along with progress in quantum simulation platforms. Waymo hinted at personal robotaxis, an evolution that could shift Alphabet's mobility strategy. Offshore, Google inked a new wind power deal in Taiwan, reinforcing its climate commitments.
Internal tensions are growing at Google, as the company tightened return-to-office rules, threatened remote workers' jobs, and laid off more employees—continuing the workforce reshuffle.
SO WHAT?
Google remains under ferocious global scrutiny but continues to post robust financial results. The company’s deep entrenchment in ad markets, AI infrastructure, and platform control is shielding Google, for now at least. Strategic vulnerabilities are emerging: the Samsung–Gemini deal is shaky, Chrome's cookie policies are politically radioactive, and competitors like OpenAI are openly plotting search disruption. Google’s massive AI bets are necessary but currently proving insufficient. Regulatory remedies may hit harder in 2025-26, especially around Chrome and AdTech. Google I/O next month will be critical for resetting narratives around Gemini, AI search, and ecosystem openness. Expect big things…because they’re going to be needed to keep stakeholders calm.
IN OTHER NEWS
Brands are moving to chatbots and coming away from Google. /FT
Google appointed a new UK Managing Director, Kate Alessi. /CampaignLive
DeepMind researchers introduced a new benchmark for brain model evaluation, ZapBench. /Google Research
Nvidia launched NeMo tools for building AI agents, sharpening competition in the AI developer space. /SiliconANGLE
Google added AI reasoning controls to Gemini 2.5 Flash to improve decision-making transparency. /Artificial Intelligence News
Google shared new DORA research on the use of GenAI in software development. /Google Cloud Blog
A Perplexity executive accused Google of blocking Motorola’s AI assistant integration. /Bloomberg
YouTube began testing AI-generated overviews in search results. /Search Engine Land
Google unveiled new AI platforms for urban mobility optimisation. /Google Research
Google launched a Live API for building real-time user interactions. /Google Developers Blog
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