Welcome to Wednesday’s Newsletter

In todays scoop 🍨 

• 🔍️ Do You Still Google It?

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🔍 Do You Still Google It?

Google's iron grip on search is loosening as AI and social media reshape how we find information online. The ripple effects could reshape not just Google, but the entire internet economy.

Remember when "just Google it" was everyone's go-to phrase? Those days might be numbered. Here's why:

Gen Z & millennials aren’t playing by Google's rules anymore. They're heading straight to TikTok and Instagram for everything from restaurant recommendations to product research. The numbers? A whopping 67% of young users are hitting up Instagram for searches, while 62% are scrolling TikTok. (Sorry, Google, but the kids think you're giving big "okay, boomer" energy.) 👴

ChatGPT and Perplexity have been making traditional search look like a flip phone in an iPhone world. Instead of clicking through endless tabs like it's 2005, users can have actual conversations with AI, getting deeper insights without the digital equivalent of a treasure hunt.

Google's Response 👀

They've rolled out AI summaries in search results across the U.S. But this might be like shooting themselves in the foot with a very expensive bullet. Why? Because when people get their answers right in the search results, they're not clicking those precious ads that keep Google's lights on.

Is the Internet's Ecosystem in Trouble? 🌐

Google's been the internet's traffic cop for years, directing visitors (and ad dollars) to websites. But with AI summaries keeping users from clicking through, websites are losing eyeballs and revenue.

Less revenue = less incentive to create quality content = worse search results. It's a digital death spiral that could change the web as we know it.

Follow the Money 💰

Let's talk numbers that'll make your bank account feel inadequate: Parent company Alphabet is sitting on a gold mine, and that mine is Google Search. While Google's got plenty of hits in its catalog (Android, YouTube, Chrome – you get the picture), it's the search advertising business that's the real MVP, hauling in a jaw-dropping $224 billion in 2022 – right as ChatGPT burst onto the scene and kicked off the Great AI Gold Rush. Here's the wild part: Search ads alone made up 80% of Alphabet's entire revenue that year!

Think of Google as Alphabet's responsible firstborn, bankrolling their siblings' wild dreams – like Waymo's self-driving cars and other "maybe this'll change the world" moonshots. (Nothing like using your golden child's allowance to fund the family's passion projects, right?) But with AI threatening to crash this cash party, Alphabet might need to have some awkward conversations about the family budget. 💸

The Million (Billion) Dollar Question 🤔 

What happens when Google's money printer starts jamming? We might be about to find out. Their click-through rates on ads dropped 8% compared to last year, and eMarketer projects Google's share of U.S. search advertising will dip below 50% for the first time ever in 2025.

Why It Matters?

This isn't just about Google – it's about the future of how we find and consume information online. If Google's search empire crumbles, it could trigger a domino effect: less funding for innovation, a reshaping of the digital advertising landscape, and maybe even a world where "googling" becomes as outdated as your company’s "culture-building" return-to-office email. 🏢

The bottom line here is Google might be facing its biggest challenge since... well, ever. They're caught between a rock and an AI place - adapt and risk their ad business, or stick to their guns and watch the competition zoom past. Either way, the search giant's next moves could determine not just their future, but the future of the web as we know it.

The internet's having its "Streaming vs. Cable TV" moment. Just like Netflix changed how we watch TV, AI might completely flip how we find information online. And Google? They're looking a lot like Blockbuster right about now – still dominant, but with disruption knocking at the door.

What do you think? Is Google about to go the way of the search engine dinosaurs, or will they pull a Taylor Swift and reinvent themselves for the AI age? ✨Hit reply and let us know!

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Thank you for reading!

If you enjoyed this newsletter, share it with a friend who still types "google.com" into their browser bar. They probably need to hear this.

Until tomorrow—stay curious! 👋