Important events
Jun 202023
GOOGL: Google Follows Apple in Eyeing India for Smartphone Production
- Google is seeking to shift production of its Pixel smartphones to India.
- Increasing tensions between China and the US are making India look like an appealing alternative for production.
- Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, met with India’s Technology Minister last month to discuss potential agreements.
After Apple made moves to transfer more of its production capacity to India rather than China, it now looks as though Google is looking to do the same. The tech giant is currency looking for a supplier in India which can handle the production of its Pixel smartphones.
Recent regulations and tensions between the US and China are making India an appealing alternative for manufacturing. Additionally, strict covid restrictions implemented in China during the pandemic caused Pixel production to take a hit – something which has made Google think twice about relying too heavily on the region for its supply lines.
India’s Technology Minister met with Google’s CEO in May to discuss potential agreements for the new production effort, and with India being one of Google’s most substantial emerging markets – an agreement would likely be significant for the tech giant.
(About Google)
Google is a multinational technology company known for its dominance in the field of internet-related services and products. Founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University, Google has grown to become one of the most influential and successful companies in the world. At its core, Google is primarily recognized as a search engine. Its search platform revolutionized the way people access information online, providing fast and relevant search results based on complex algorithms. Today, Google's search engine handles billions of queries every day, making it an essential tool for individuals and businesses worldwide.
Triyansh Gill / Unsplash
Jun 152023
GOOGL: Google Threatened With Ad Business Breakup By EU Regulator
- Google could be forced to sell parts of its ad business if EU antitrust concerns are not adequately addressed.
- Alphabet makes the vast majority of its revenue from its ad business, so a forced split would harm its revenue for the foreseeable future.
- Google is also being investigated for antitrust practises in both the US and the UK.
Alphabet’s Google faces a challenge by the EU competition commission this week, after it was accused of anti competitive practices in the ad sector. The charge sheet has alleged that the company had abused its dominance in the market to charge higher fees, and make it difficult for competition to acquire business. If the commission concerns are not adequately addressed, the regulator has threatened to force Google to sell certain components of its high-revenue ad unit.
Forced divestment is usually reserved for serious breaches of antitrust laws, where even fines in the billions of dollars have little material impact on a company’s operations. Online ads generated a whopping 80% of Alphabet’s total revenue last year. As such, a forced splitting of parts of the business would be sure to hurt.
The tech-giant is continuing to insist that it has done nothing wrong, but its ad business has been under probing by EU regulators for more than 2 years. It’s also not just the EU regulator investigating whether Google has committed antitrust offenses, as the both the US and the UK have launched their own investigations into those regionalized arms.
(About Google)
Google is a multinational technology company that specializes in internet-related services and products. Founded in 1998 by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were Ph.D. students at Stanford University, Google has grown to become one of the most influential and valuable companies in the world. Google has also recently made advancements in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. The company's AI-powered virtual assistant, Google Assistant, can perform a wide range of tasks and provide information in a conversational manner. Google has also developed AI technologies for image recognition, language translation, and natural language processing, among other applications.
Christian Lue / Unsplash
May 122023
GOOGL: Google Rolls Out New Search Feature to Play Catch Up in Heated AI Race
In case you didn’t know that generative AI is all tech bros talk about, Google is reminding us again that generative AI is all tech bros talk about.- Generative AI is getting injected into every big tech we know about. Alphabet’s latest move makes sure the largest search engine doesn’t fall behind the curve. The company’s Google unit unveiled, you guessed it, a new AI-powered conversation-style feature to help you get custom-tailored responses to your queries.
- The next evolution of the search engine is called “Search Generative Experience,” or SGE. It operates as a chatbot that will pop up above traditional search results and brags the ability to respond to follow-up questions. So when can we all get our hands on it?
- US users will be the first to play around with the new tool, while expansion is planned over the coming weeks. The move comes after a dismal attempt to compete with Microsoft’s ChatGPT integration into Bing. Shares of Google parent Alphabet (ticker: GOOGL) jumped 4.3% on Thursday.
G / Unsplash
Apr 262023
GOOGL: Alphabet to Buy Back $70bn in Stock as Revenue Drops
The tech powerhouse is all about cost control and aggressive AI bets to jump-start falling revenue growth.- Google parent Alphabet reported earnings that made investors wary of the giant’s dominance over online advertising. The search veteran posted $69.79bn in overall sales, of which $54.55bn came from advertising. The numbers narrowly beat Wall Street’s forecast for $68.89bn and $53.71bn, respectively.
- The ad sales figure was Google’s second drop in a row and the tech giant’s third such miss year-over-year since it went public in 2004. To spark some excitement over its forward-looking growth projections, Alphabet’s board authorized a $70bn share buyback and more cost-cutting.
- Adding to the pressure, however, is the AI war with Microsoft and a flock of other rivals. The enormous popularity of ChatGPT (where Microsoft was able to swoop in with $10bn), forced Alphabet to desperately try and catch up with the not-so-great launch of its AI bot Bard.
Alphabet
Feb 072023
AI wars here already?
Google unveils plans to take on ChatGPT.- The formidable search engine giant is launching a chatbot to rival OpenAI’s super popular ChatGPT, Google parent Alphabet announced on Monday. Without going into the nitty-gritty – it’s called Bard, it’s in a trial phase, and it will be released to the public in the coming weeks.
- Despite the news, shares of Alphabet stayed fairly muted and in line with the broader market sentiment. The stock finished Monday down 1.8% but is up a decent 15% since the start of the year as tech stocks have enjoyed a sweeping rebound after some heavy blows in 2022.
- The AI wars appear to be moving at break-neck speed, especially after ChatGPT soared from a casual bot tool to a threat that had Google on code red. Microsoft is not far behind – the software giant pumped $10bn in ChatGPT and wants it in its Bing search engine.
Jonny Gios / Unsplash
Jan 232023
Join the club
It was looking like it might be able to make it through without layoffs, but Google has finally caved.- Google has announced plans to let go of 12k employees – representing 6% of its global workforce. In a staff memo, it was said that the company faces a “different economic reality” than the one in which they hired. It's just the latest in the tech-layoff frenzy of 2023, with Microsoft, Amazon and others already having done the same.
- The layoffs are part of a wider effort to refocus the company towards its AI projects – something which Microsoft is also doubling down on with plans to invest $10bn in OpenAI. With tech stocks down YoY across the board, they’re looking to reinvent themselves to weather current economic conditions.
- The Alphabet Workers Union (Alphabet is Google’s parent company) was far from pleased, claiming that jobs have been placed on the chopping block so that shareholders can see marginal benefit next quarter. In the current economic climate however, it seems the rulebook is out the window.
ThisisEngineering RAEng / Unsplash
Jan 202023
Google's Android woes
A new antitrust ruling in India threatens Google’s Android business model.- India’s Supreme Court has ruled that Google should not be allowed to force pre-install its apps on smartphones running its mobile OS Android. It’s a major financial setback for the tech giant in one of its key growth markets. It has also hit Google with a $161m fine.
- The regulator also ruled that it should not be allowed to prevent the deletion of its apps, such as Maps, YouTube and Chrome. With 97% of smartphones in India running Android, the impact of the ruling on its revenue in the region could be substantial. By comparison, Apple’s iOS only commands 3% of the market.
- It’s not the first jurisdiction to consider some of Google’s practices a step too far. In Europe, the tech giant was fined $4.3bn in 2018 for its Android licensing terms – in a ruling which the company has challenged. Google even claimed that India’s ruling was so similar to that of Europe, that they had “copy-and-pasted” the ruling and didn’t properly examine the evidence.
Denny Müller/ Unsplash
Jan 162023
A matter of (anti)trust
Despite its share price performing relatively well recently, a few bumps in the road could threaten Google’s tech dominance.- Google is under the spotlight for its data collection practices, amid an antitrust probe taking place in Germany led by Andreas Mundt. The regulator is claiming that the company unfairly disadvantages competition by limiting its customers’ options regarding how their data is collected.
- It’s a significant development for the tech industry and could become a landmark case with implications on other major tech companies like Meta and Apple – which was also formally warned by the regulator that its user terms could violate antitrust law.
- It’s not the only issue Google has on its plate right now. Last week, Microsoft moved to invest $10bn in OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which could threaten Google’s search engine dominance.
Web Summit / Flickr
Dec 232022
Game day
Google’s continuing its push to make YouTube the place to be for sports, with a major deal making that more likely.- The NFL has announced a $2bn deal with Google’s YouTube, which will see its Sunday Ticket subscription available for streaming on YouTube TV. The deal will reportedly continue for at least 7 years.
- It’s not the only streaming service looking to capitalize on the sports industry. Last year, Paramount signed an 11-year contract to show NFL games, and Disney is reportedly paying $2.7bn per year for the rights to show its Monday Night Football schedule.
- Youtube TV has been reaching milestones in its race to compete with other streaming services. In July this year, it surpassed 5m subscribers. It’s still behind the likes of Disney however, whose Disney+ streaming service recently reported 14.4m subscribers.
Ryan Reinoso/ Unsplash
Dec 092022
Citation needed
Big tech just can’t seem to catch a break this year, with Google now being held responsible for whether its listings are factually correct.- A top European court has ruled that Google must remove factually incorrect search result data. The ruling was sparked by a case brought by two executives at an investment group, whose names were causing articles criticizing the company to appear when searched.
- It’s pretty significant for the search-engine giant, as it may now have to spend significant time and resources actively removing inaccurate search results if the case becomes precedent. The ruling also said that users can present their own evidence and do not require judicial approval.
- It’s not the ruling Google was hoping to hear. With a 35% drop in share price since the start of the year and already dealing with a class-action antitrust lawsuit brought last month, they probably aren't in a hurry to be using up more resources than they have to.
Abc
Oct 262022
The digital ad disease spreads
Google’s earnings handed us more of the same dismal news we’ve received from other tech giants so far as YouTube sees its ad revenue weakness worsened.- Alphabet shares sank 7% in extended trading on Tuesday after reporting a weaker-than-expected Q3, posting EPS of $1.06 vs the $1.25 expected on revenues of $69.09bn vs the $70.58bn expected. This is the weakest period of growth for the company since 2013, other than one period early-pandemic, with revenue growth slowing to 6% from 41% a year earlier.
- YouTube’s digital ad revenue was front and center, which made a significant decline all the more disappointing – ad revenue slid 2% vs the 3% increase expected, marking the segment’s first drop since Google started reporting its metrics, coming in at $7.07bn. As others are, Alphabet will be cutting costs and focusing on profitability to make up for the losses.
- It’s an ominous start to Big Tech earnings week, though perhaps not an all-that-surprising one given Snap’s prelude last week – however, there were many who hoped that declines in other big tech giants’ ad revenue was company-specific, but this shows that the advertising slowdown is all encompassing and likely here to stay. Guess we better buckle in.
Sara Kurfess / Unsplash
Sep 132022
Google’s subsidiary success
Google’s core business may have faced some hurdles last quarter but its subsidiaries are carrying the team to victory, with special mention to its secret high-speed telecom project.- Gone are the days of having no access to the outside world while on a plane, and it’s all thanks to Google’s latest spinoff, Aalyria, which was unveiled on Monday. Ok ok it’s not all because of them, but we’re making a point here – the company has made “radical” improvements to satellite communications, Wi-Fi on planes and ships and cellular connectivity.
- The spinoff comes as parent company Alphabet faces declining revenues on the back of a industry pullback on ad spending, and now looks for ways to either advance or wind down its experimental projects – Aalyria has a $8.7m commercial contract with the US Defense Department so seems like it can hold its own.
- Elsewhere in Googleland, they officially own the firm that found the SolarWinds hack. The $5.4bn cybersecurity acquisition of Mandiant finally closed this week after it was announced back in March, and will be utilized to secure the data on Google’s cloud infrastructure – something that all of the big three public cloud providers are focusing on.
Jul 272022
The soothing sound of ad revenue trickling in
Despite an onslaught of what a lot of companies are calling “global uncertainty”, Google parent Alphabet manages to (partly) soothe the souls of big tech investors.- Alphabet shares lifted a modest but still positive 3% in extended trading on Tuesday despite missing on both ends of expectations with EPS of $1.21 on revenues that grew 13% (compared to 62% growth a year earlier) to come in at a sexy $69.69bn. Other metrics like YouTube ad revenue, Google Cloud revenue, and traffic acquisition costs all missed expectations too.
- Google search ad revenue was holding up the team here. Travel and retail advertisers helped boost search ad sales by 14% to hit $40.69, though overall ad revenue jumped only 12% to $56.3bn as marketers adjusted to inflationary pressures – a 5% increase in YouTube ad spend was the biggest deceleration, from 84% the year before (thanks TikTok) but the market was kinda prepared for it after the Snap disaster.
- Not even Google is immune to macroeconomic headwinds, leading to concerns about the brand’s outlook – or lack thereof. Google says sales would have been up around $72bn if not for currency swings (55% of sales are from outside the US), and scrutiny from five separate continents means Google is taking smaller cuts from app sales – all of that adds up to an analyst forecast for 14% revenue growth in the FY.
BP Miller / Unsplash
May 122022
Google gives us new gear
Lots of new gadgets are coming to Google, including its eagerly-anticipated Pixel Watch.- The Pixel Watch will drop in the fall as a “premium product”. It will be compatible only with Android devices, but will be able to function away from its host smartphone. Google plans to run it on the company’s Wear operating system alongside Fitbit’s health tracking software (it acquired the company in 2019).
- Google will also be releasing the new Pixel 7 smartphone, also set to launch in the fall. Apart from these two big launches, Google announced new Pixel Buds Pro earbuds, as well as a planned 2023 return to making tablets. Watch out Apple, Google wants your iPad and watch sales.
- The new gizmos and gadgets will help Google’s hardware push. While it still generates most of its revenue from advertising, Google generated over $8bn in hardware and app sales in Q1 of 2022 – a markup from $6.6bn from the same quarter in 2021. Better late than never, we guess.
Apr 272022
Alphabet earnings go down the (You)Tube
Is YouTube canceled? Tech behemoth Alphabet gets dragged down into the dumps by declining ad revenue on its fave video platform.- Shares sank nearly 10% in extended trading on Tuesday after hitting a near nine-month low in day trading. It came after the company’s Q1 missed on both ends, reporting EPS of $24.62 on revenues of $68.01bn – that represents 23% growth YoY, a slowdown from 34% in the same period last year.
- What went wrong? In a nutshell, YouTube. Ad revenue on the platform came in at $6.87bn, showing growth of 14% but still lower than the $7.51bn expected. CEO Sundar Pichai says it’s not their fault though – apparently YT’s 2bn users still spent time on there, but the war in Ukraine meant the larger European region has decreased their ad spend.
- And apparently the tough times aren’t over. Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat said this quarter will be even more challenging bc of foreign exchange headwinds and its shutdown of operations in Russia. It can’t have inspired big tech investors, who already sent the tech-heavy Nasdaq plummeting to 2022 lows on Tuesday in anticipation of this week's earnings.
Javier Miranda / Unsplash
Apr 142022
Google’s going green
Big tech seems to finally be recognizing how massive its environmental footprint is, and is starting to ramp up its eco-friendliness.- Google’s global data centers use double the electricity of San Francisco a year, which let’s be honest is kinda nuts, and that number is only going up as the world switches to the digital side of life. But, the brand has a plan.
- Its global data centers will use 100% carbon-free energy by 2030, a goal that CEO Sundar Pichai has said stresses him out but is “humanity’s next moonshot”. Google has claimed to be completely carbon-neutral since 2007, but it’s ready to up its game to use 100% clean energy.
- Alphabet’s baby isn’t the only tech firm making changes. Online payments firm Stripe has teamed up with Alphabet, Meta, and several other tech firms, to commit nearly $1bn to turbocharge the carbon-capture market – which basically means capturing carbon emissions and storing them underground so they don't enter the atmosphere.
dan carlson / Unsplash
Mar 312022
Alphabet’s robotaxi dreams become Waymo realistic
San Fran is becoming the home of the robotaxi revolution thanks to Waymo’s (Google’s self drive unit) latest milestone, while Pres Biden pumps funds into the EV sphere.🔍 Key points:
- Waymo’s completely self-driving taxis are ready to hit the roads of San Francisco without any safety drivers, after years of development and testing.
- The company is one of many trying to build and deploy a commercial autonomous driving service, like Argo AI and Cruise. One company not near the finish line is Tesla, despite Elon Musk claiming he’d have over a million robotaxis on the road by 2020.
- EVs in general are about to get a Biden boost. The president plans to invoke Cold War-era powers to encourage domestic production of materials needed for EVs (which are in low supply atm) as a way to reduce dependence on international energy supplies.
Waymo
Mar 232022
Google’s Sandbox AQ finds its own playground
Google parent company Alphabet is waving goodbye to its quantum computing baby as the brand goes to play in the big kids’ playground.🔍 Key points:
- Alphabet has spun off software start-up Sandbox AQ into an independent company after letting it quietly grow since 2016, skimming under the radar because it operates outside of Alphabet’s popular “moonshot” division.
- It’s turned into a brand that boasts a number of high profile clients and big developments in the quantum technology and AI spaces, already getting over nine-figures in funding from big investors like the CEOs of both Google and Salesforce.
- Apparently, there’s crazy demand for quantum tech rn because it has the potential to be faster than a supercomputer. Research firm Gartner estimates that by next year 20% of global companies will budget for quantum-computing projects, up from under 1% in 2018. Other big tech companies like Microsoft are also investing in the industry.
Duangphorn Wiriya / Unsplash
Mar 092022
Google gets Mandiant defense robot
Google defies the cries of regulators to boost its cyber defenses and keep hackers at bay.🔍 Key points:
- Google has spent $5.4bn on buying cybersecurity company Mandiant, marking parent company Alphabet’s second biggest acquisition ever. Mandiant used to be under the FireEye umbrella, which was the brand credited with helping uncover the SolarWinds attack last year.
- The internet search giant is trying to keep up with the scale of rivals like Microsoft Azure (which was also in talks to buy Mandiant) and Amazon Web Services, according to its CFO. As instances of cyberattacks on cloud platforms and government services escalate, Google is also trying to go the extra mile to keep customers safe.
- Mandiant, for one, was thrilled with the purchase and soared 16% on the news; Google investors still seemed pleased but were less emphatic about it, sending the stock up 4% before closing up 0.57% to snap a five-day losing streak. Now let’s see how hard line antitrust regulators will be with the news…
Markus Spiske / Unsplash
Feb 172022
Google takes a bite out of Apple’s book
Google announces tracking changes that are similar to Apple’s in an effort to make Androids more private.Key points:
- Google plans to introduce new privacy restrictions on its Android devices that will put an end to tracking across apps on the phones, giving developers two years to adapt before enforcing the new rules – which Apple didn't.
- Part of the motivation is to get ahead of regulatory issues that have been plaguing big tech as lawmakers get increasingly concerned about consumers' personal data and how it’s used.
- Apple’s privacy changes have made a massive dent in targeted advertising, as is clear from this earnings season, as social platforms posted significant drops in advertising revenue – Meta (FB) alone said it would lose $10bn this year from the changes, so with Androids switching over too, big tech is going to have to make some big adjustments.
Denny Müller / Unsplash