A bit ago, I noticed that my kids have never said, "google it". They say, "search it up" and then use whatever built-in search tool is on whatever device they're using which usually happens to be Google — for now.

Now, with Alphabet receiving attacks on multiple fronts — namely the widely available, high-quality LLMs and the Safari monopoly case — Google is becoming less of a verb and more of an noun.

From the outside, one of Google's greatest weaknesses is that it's never had to develop any sort of existential resilience. They've always been so far ahead that the many failed or floundering side projects and acquisitions could easily be written off. With the (rather significant) exception of YouTube, they're yet to really succeed in new markets like social, cloud, & mobile.

Moreover, where content has exploded on other platforms — Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, etc. — Google hasn't been able to make use of that content that fits outside of the text/image-based formats it was designed around. (One could argue that Google's slowness to adapt has held back content innovation, but that's another story).

Brand prestige, unfettered access, and a cornered market on content. Google is losing what's mattered most except for one thing: money.

It remains to be seen how all the economics play out. While ChatGPT is burning through expensive energy and impatient investments, the long-running Alphabet money printer might just buy them what they need most: the time to figure out how to not die.