Google in 2022: It Could Have Been Worse - CNET

Given a war successful Ukraine, inflation and a chaotic stock market, Google had a amended 2022 than a batch of tech companies. Sure, revenue mightiness person slipped and hiring mightiness person slowed, but astatine slightest the institution isn't suffering the cataclysms that rocked tech rivals.

Google employment looks downright sedate compared with moving astatine Twitter, which caller proprietor Elon Musk is ripping down to the studs to effort to physique Twitter 2.0. Facebook genitor Meta laid disconnected 11,000 employees aft a risky stake connected virtual world technology. Netflix chopped staff and is scrambling to boost subscribership. Amazon, progressively reliant connected advertizing alternatively of conscionable e-commerce, has launched a large large layoff that reportedly volition cut thousands of jobs. Even Apple, which navigated the 2022 swamp best, is struggling to support iPhone 14 Pro models successful stock.

A crummy 2022 deed Google too, but it hasn't stopped the dispersed of Google's "ambient computing" imaginativeness to embed integer tech into each country of our lives. The institution handles 92% of net hunt traffic, Chrome accounts for 65% of browser usage, YouTube streams videos to 2.6 cardinal radical each month and Google's Android bundle holds 70% of the mobile operating strategy market.

That's not to accidental things went swimmingly. Google's marketplace musculus has led to pushback from regulators, lawsuits from tech rivals and complaints from employees. But the institution pressed up with its ain ambitions, launching products and services similar Multisearch, YouTube Shorts and the caller Pixel Watch, Google's Android alternate to Apple smartwatch dominance.

Pixel Watch boosts Google's Android ecosystem

Google's Pixel Watch.

Stephen Shankland/CNET

The Pixel Watch, which went connected merchantability successful October for $349, gives Android fans a amended alternate for tracking fittingness and communications. Wear OS, Google's smartwatch software, had languished until Samsung embraced it successful 2021 with the Galaxy Watch 4 and this year's Galaxy Watch 5. But portion immoderate Galaxy Watch wellness features lone enactment with Galaxy phones, the Pixel Watch works with immoderate modern Android phone.

Google's Apple Watch rival helps bring the institution person to ecosystem parity. The hunt elephantine seems to person higher hopes for its hardware this year, with it reportedly placing its largest ever bid for the Pixel 7 launch with different large instrumentality landing adjacent year. 

Stay tuned for the Pixel Tablet successful 2023 that volition treble arsenic a Google Home and maybe a Pixel Fold telephone to vie against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4.

YouTube Shorts vs. TikTok and different merchandise developments

Gen Z looks to TikTok much often than Google for definite searches, similar which restaurants to devour astatine oregon what to bash successful Portland. Google noticed and volition statesman integrating much short-form videos into Search.

YouTube Shorts, launched successful 2020, is present boasting 1.5 cardinal viewers per month acknowledgment to its prominence successful the YouTube app. TikTok reported 1 cardinal progressive monthly users past year.

In different merchandise developments:

• Google gave Chrome an updated password manager that integrates with Android amended and a more unafraid mode to grip recognition paper info. But Google's Privacy Sandbox effort has proved challenging, with pushback from critics and another hold to a prohibition connected the usage of "cookie" technology to way radical astir the web.

• A Gmail redesign arrived for everyone successful July and integrated Google Meet and Chat apps.

• Google Maps got a caller Immersive View that lets radical view landmarks from large cities oregon walk done a restaurant. Its caller Historical Street View shows changes implicit the past 15 years.

• Google search, the institution added a caller quality called Multisearch. It allows you to harvester photos and substance into a azygous hunt query, for illustration a changeable of an chartless angiosperm and the substance "care instructions."

Adios, Google Stadia

Google Stadia controller being utilized with telephone mount.

Google/Screenshot by CNET

Not each products did truthful well.

With economical troubles, Google genitor Alphabet chose to absorption connected areas it deems strongest and chopped elsewhere. That's why, 3 years aft launching Stadia successful 2019, the institution canceled the video crippled streaming service, which tried to bash for games what Netflix did for video.

Stadia volition expire successful aboriginal 2023, and Google volition refund each purchases.

Fines, lawsuits and authorities scrutiny

Regulators made 2022 costly for Google. The hunt giant, on with Meta, were fined 150 cardinal and 90 cardinal euros, respectively, in France implicit idiosyncratic tracking. As the warfare raged successful Ukraine, Russian courts fined Google $365 million for not removing prohibited contented regarding the conflict. And the institution agreed to a $391.5 cardinal colony with authorities attorneys general for its determination tracking practices. But these penalties airy successful examination to a imaginable 4.1 cardinal euro good successful Europe for antitrust violations successful allegedly forcing Android manufacturers and mobile web operators to see Google's suite of apps with their phones.

Google's 2021 gross of $257 billion dwarfs adjacent multibillion-dollar fines. Regulators could sting harder by requiring changes to its halfway hunt motor business.

Australia, sympathetic to publisher's complaints astir Google, passed a instrumentality making the hunt elephantine and Meta pay publishers of content. Canada introduced akin legislation earlier this year, citing the closure of 450 media outlets betwixt 2008 and 2021 and the emergence of misinformation. The institution gave publishers a boost, though, redesigning its location leafage to elevate much section news.

Some tech companies besides weren't blessed with Google's power. Fortnite's suit implicit Android's Play Store for Android apps showed Google paid different companies not to marque rival app stores. Spotify and Tinder genitor Match Group sued Google implicit Play Store outgo requirements successful March. Seemingly, the Play Store present allows some Spotify and Bumble to usage their ain outgo systems, paying dramatically little fees.

Google vs. its employees

Protest of Google employees successful 2019.

James Martin/CNET

The perks of being a "Googler" mislaid immoderate luster successful 2022. Employees get escaped meals, nap rooms and gym access, on with their salaries, though not needfully bidets successful the bathrooms. The annual "Googlegeist" survey showed a driblet of 12 percent points successful the fig of employees who said their wage is competitive. Layoffs mightiness beryllium successful the offing, with the institution reportedly identifying the bottommost 6% of performers successful a imaginable prelude to a chopped of astir 10,000 employees.

Even without layoffs, determination was trouble. One employee, Ariel Koren, a selling manager for Google's acquisition products arm, became a vocal opponent of Google reportedly selling AI tools to Israeli. She said Google retaliated against her by abruptly forcing her to determination to Brazil oregon other suffer her job. 

Google besides fired an AI researcher who questioned the company's usage of AI to make machine chips. Ariel Curley, a Black employee, sued Google for having a "racially biased firm culture." Google besides settled with six engineers it allegedly fired arsenic retaliation for workplace activism.

In 2023, Google could hunker down much to header with economical troubles and a harder clip milking its advertizing currency cows. But everyone from CEO Sundar Pichai connected down tin instrumentality immoderate comfortableness they're not coping with rivals' adjacent bigger problems.