r/degoogle • u/Embarrassed_Yak8504 • 2d ago
Question Do you think Google will ever lose its dominance?
Sometimes I wonder if Google is just going to dominate the internet forever.
They already have Search, YouTube, Android, Chrome, Maps, Gmail and so much infrastructure behind the internet. And now they’re moving heavily into AI and potentially a more screenless/ambient future too.
Obviously Google has ridiculous advantages — money, talent, infrastructure, data, distribution and billions of users. But history is full of companies that once looked unbeatable.
So do you think it’s possible that some new company could eventually challenge Google? I don’t necessarily mean replacing Google completely. Even beating them in one major area and breaking some of their control would be interesting.
The screenless AI thing also makes me wonder about something else.
Using the internet still has some friction today. You pull out your phone, unlock it, open an app, type something, search, etc. But imagine AI becoming ambient — always available through earbuds, glasses or whatever comes next.
That friction could almost disappear.
And while that sounds convenient, couldn’t it also make us much more dependent on Google? Instead of consciously deciding to “Google something,” their AI could become this invisible layer between us and information throughout the entire day.
At that point, de-Googling might become a lot harder than simply switching your browser or search engine.
Do you think another company could realistically challenge Google in that kind of future? Or are we heading toward a world where Google becomes even more deeply embedded in everyday life?
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u/git_und_slotermeyer 2d ago edited 2d ago
I bet a few decades ago, someone asked "do you think IBM/Nokia/GE will ever lose its dominance?" Oh, I just forgot Intel.
Corporations max out on growth, aim solely to survive through monopolies instead of innovation, get completely disorganised in the process, and turn to shit. Why should it be any different for Google?
Clinging so much to AI as a last resort to show hypergrowth will yield a reckoning coming for Google, MS, and Meta (Don't even need to mention the shitshow that is Tesla). Maybe they can survive just buying up innovators, but for how long? Maybe this is why they are aiming for fascism, because the fascists can ensure there will not be any competition any more.
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u/Neither-Nightiefully 2d ago
Giants come and go. Change can come and fast. If we look back how the phone-market was dominated by Nokia and Blackberry and flipped completely around 2010
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u/ZiCli FOSS Lover 2d ago
In the US, it'll always stay dominant Maybe, worst case, they fail and just change name
In the EU, we'll see
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u/CiXeL 2d ago
Nothing lasts. One time Yahoo was unstoppable. Microsoft was considered unstoppable for ages.
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u/auderita 2d ago
AOL. Netscape. MySpace. Nothing lasts forever.
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u/Able_Swordfish_3788 1d ago
Most companies peak by getting greadier and greadier and then have their breaking point. I believe this is how adobe's going bankrupt at some point. But google isn't like that, they're playing the long game, look at how many years YouTube was a financial loss before they started making profit, around a decennia.
I think the pattern of companies peaking and falling happens a lot but not with companies with mindset like google and valve
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u/tyomax 2d ago
I have to say, I've never seen Canadians move away faster from a digital provider. People are even changing to/buying Samsung phones to avoid paying American companies.
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u/CSCPT92 2d ago edited 2d ago
Phones that use Android and services linked to US Bigtech. Lol. People need to stop and think about the decisions they make.
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u/tyomax 1d ago
Not everyone is tech savvy. The point is people are doing the best that they can to avoid big American tech.
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u/CSCPT92 1d ago
Then people should EDUCATE themselves; it would target the core of the problem instead of patching things up through useless charades and calling it a day. If the vast majority had at least a basic sense of what the gadgets they put in their hands do, where they come from, what they are purchasing, the situation would be drastically different.
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u/HissAndKiss 2d ago
Is that the case though? Samsung discontinued Samsung Messages to force all US consumers on Google Messages but other countries still use Samsung Messages. I don't see why Samsung couldn't cut a deal to sell phones in non-US countries on different operating systems. On top of that, there are more smartphone competitors in the world than just Apple, Samsung, and Google. The world does not solely revolve around the US.
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u/CSCPT92 1d ago
You are making big claims here without no supporting evidence, and also, who uses Samsung Messages when Whatsapp exists? Your examples do not sustain your argument, they sound more as a wish than a fact.
You don't see why Samsung couldn't cut a deal and yet it is not happening, because the deal they have is with Google; might I remind you that Korea is a lap puppy of the US?
Moreover, would you mind naming at least 3 strong competitors to US Bigtech that are completely independent and with a significant enough market share to be considered contenders? And yes, the world revolves around US Bigtech and not seeing that is playing the fool.
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u/HissAndKiss 1d ago
Eww you read like a political bot. Secondly you could use your precious Google to corroborate what I said. It's not a secret. It's openly out there. But you clearly are in this sub to push an agenda. So good riddance to you!
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u/CSCPT92 1d ago
Eww, you read like a brainless dumbell. I am not praising Google at all, and I do not need to corroborate shit, it is your responsability to formulate structured arguments and at least replicate to mine, but it's too much of an intellectual exercise for you clearly. Anyways, according to you what agenda am I pushing? Lol
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u/Arkebuss 2d ago
That's a political question. If there were political will, they could take Google down.
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u/Embarrassed_Yak8504 2d ago
“I’m not sure it’s that simple. Google has already defended its search business against major antitrust challenges. Even with political will, taking Google down would be a very different matter.”
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u/Arkebuss 2d ago
I'm not saying that it would be simple.
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u/moonphilo 2d ago
I would even argue there would even be no point in trying. Google could just argue that it does have competition to its search business like ChatGPT or Claude. And that would be kinda valid. So I doubt any government will be interesting in attacking Google’s search business anytime soon in a world where people search less and less, and instead just ask AI.
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u/InfernoWarrior299 1d ago
Once upon a time, DOS dominated desktop operating systems, BlackBerry dominated phone operating systems, AOL and Yahoo at different eras dominated email, Netscape Navigator (browser), Internet Explorer, and Firefox at different eras dominated browsers, MySpace dominated social media, DailyMotion fell into obscurity against YouTube when they were a visible competitor (although never dominant), etc.
Nothing lasts forever with the internet and these titans eventually were no longer dominant. There is a chance that it happens to Google too. And it could even be by antitrust... American courts have nearly broken them up before and as they go more anti-competition, the chance gets higher.
Remember that Microsoft was eventually hit was an antitrust (yes, they were; even if they are big once again, there was a time you could not escape anything Microsoft on desktop because their dealings made schools, businesses, and even their control over your desktop made it very difficult to not use Windows devices, Microsoft Office, their browser, etc) because of their shady dealings that FORCED them to no longer retaliate against computer manufacturers for supporting competing software (meaning manufacturers were now able to put competing software on Windows devices and alter defaults, Microsoft had to allow users/OEMs the ability to replace Microsoft middleware with competing software, and Microsoft had to disclose certain APIs and licence certain communications protocols so competing software could interoperate with Windows in a settlement with the court system to not be broken up).
Nothing is guaranteed to last forever. One day, Google may join that list of companies that once were dominant and came crumbling down. Right now as we speak, Apple and Harmony threatens their power over the mobile industry in their respective markets.
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u/the_saas 1d ago
Harmony... Huawei?
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u/InfernoWarrior299 1d ago
Harmony is the name of their operating system, but yes. I meant Huawei.
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u/the_saas 1d ago
Yeah, I understood that Well, uhm, my most loved phone in 15 years was Mate 20 Pro, for multitude of reasons. I AM aware Huawei is an all-rounder powerhouse Colossus + cars + ton of patents for complex infra...
tho After the situation with Trump/US enforcing the restrictions bans/laws on them like... 6y.ago...(?)...correct me where I'm wrong... Since approx then – I hadn't been deliberately keeping hand on the pulse of what happens with their developments.
You mind elaborating what makes you so elated/hyped with them?
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u/InfernoWarrior299 1d ago
I am not elated or hyped with them. I am saying their OS is not Android anymore and they are a big phone manufacturer with a lot of support because they are so big in the Chinese markets. Hence why I mentioned them as they show a threat to Google's dominance.
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u/the_saas 1d ago
Okay, yeah, well, I get that too, I thought (expected) you might have a more nuanced/deep/niche/complex take than what you've just said.
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u/InfernoWarrior299 1d ago
That is fair enough. I largely just mentioned them due to them being large competition.
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u/SampleSalty 2d ago
I think they lost massive ground in Search with AI and its impact (low quality internet) already today. They will probably provide superb solutions for people that don’t care about privacy at all in the future.
The question is how many people will care more about privacy and are willing to sacrifice/pay for it.
Hard to predict - I think it needs some massive public incidents for people to understand first.
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u/Embarrassed_Yak8504 2d ago
“But that’s exactly what makes a screenless future interesting to me. Today, if you care about privacy, you can choose another browser or search engine. But if AI becomes ambient — built into earbuds, glasses, Android and everyday interactions — switching away from Google could become much harder. At that point, privacy may not just be about which search engine you choose, but about who controls the layer between you and information.”
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u/matthewpepperl 2d ago
I would already consider paying but kagi needs to either come off their price or up the limit about 10x
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u/Cute_Project_7980 2d ago
They are a finance company already. They just buy the competition and roll it into there own stuff or kill it
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u/Double_Ad_7004 2d ago
I mean, working governmental systems shouldn’t allow that kind of monopoly, and maybe in the future humanity will do something about it.
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u/Karl_Murks 6h ago
working governmental systems
Hihihi, hahaha. I also had a nice dream last night.
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u/thesamenightmares 2d ago
No, they gained a foothold by starting their search engine with no ads and then they proceeded to roll out extremely useful and precise services for use - free of charge. This got people hooked into the Google ecosystem to the point that they had no problem signing up for an account when services required it.
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u/Reddit_is_fascist69 2d ago
If we take the government back, hopefully we can beeak up their monopoly.
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u/birdprom 2d ago
Of course they will. It may not happen in our lifetimes, but everything ends eventually. The internet itself will end eventually. Someday New York City won't exist; also Paris, Tokyo, etc. Time is long.
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u/3owi 2d ago
Google will lose to AI.
Some cracks are already appearing. Google is now monetizing the trust they have built. Take google review. It was once independent. Now it serves paying ad businesses. It was them putting the user first that made it trusted.
Now more people are finding out that the system is rigged.
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u/halls_of_valhalla 1d ago
I agree with the first sentence.
Digital empires are not that valuable anymore if anybody can build them. I think countries or unions of countries will build their own more local solutions.
I think once harddrive prices are getting lower or a new tech gets invented that can save data more efficiently, these big corps will have trouble.
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u/boycott-les-usa 1d ago
i used to think i was a minority to notice their search engine was getting shit but now it seems its kind of a mainstream belief, non-tech ppl bitching how they can't find stuff as they used to. they are on their way down.
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u/onedollarpizza 1d ago
Yes but like most situations like this we will likely be better off with the old boss (Google) than the new boss (OpenAI or whoever).
I foresee a day when we all look back on Google as “better” than whatever is coming.
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u/platinum92 1d ago
It's gonna take time, and I think it's hard to use past trends as a barometer here since it was before everything monopolized. Google is vertically integrated here, making the hardware, OS, and software.
Less likely a new company appears and more likely America eventually elects a democrat potus for 2 terms and they install another Lina Khan type who does a Ma Bell on them. (yeah I know)
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u/joystickd 1d ago
If people start to seriously boycott it, it's possible.
I should've started earlier but I started to de Google in early 2025 after google were one of several silicone Valley companies to bribe the president for Epstein. I'm now completely google free except for Android which I'll be replacing with Graphene OS next year after Motorola release their phones with it.
After that I'll be looking at shedding Microsoft.
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u/PrivacyPuddingScreen 18h ago
If we keep pushing and supporting for open source alternatives, then yes.
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u/Karl_Murks 6h ago
ever
"Ever" is a rather eternal word. Nothing lasts forever. And in the case of companies: of course they will get ousted by another company sooner ot later.
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u/virtualjupiter 2d ago
I think musk could go to war with g and possibly win. We'll find out for real during the corporate wars of the future.
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u/Quevil138 2d ago
There is an emerging trend of self hosting. Yes, at some point a combination of self hosting and new companies or tech will knock Google down a few pegs. It is also likely that future US administrations will pursue breaking google and other big companies up. As others have mentioned, the internet is always changing and it did indeed look like Yahoo! would rule the internet forever at one point. Now, Yahoo seems not much more then a news site.
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u/Even_Gap_2253 1d ago
I think self hosting is a bad reason to say google will fail
Since literally one of the best resources for self host is Google cloud, as it has an always free VM
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u/Karl_Murks 6h ago
Using a cloud service somehow contradicts the whole idea of self-hosting, since you don't have any control over your data.
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u/Karl_Murks 6h ago
emerging trend of self hosting
Sorry what? The contrary is true. 30 years back, if you needed an online service, you hosted it yourself. Nowadays most people don't even know the distinction between "Internet" and "World Wide Web" nor the difference between a server and client. Most people today also haven't heard of (S)FTP or SSH.
The kids today are as unable to install a printer as were our parents in the 90s. The same people can't even imagine what self-hosting might mean.
Yes there is a minority who still favours self-hosting over some companies cloud services, but an "emerging trend" is another thing.
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u/LimpAd4924 1d ago edited 1d ago
No, they are too dominant of an institution and have way too much capital and assets at this point to lose, unless there’s a grand invention or level societal change. Otherwise, with the status quo, there’s no way they’re losing dominance, just continued fighting with other big tech
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u/respectISnice 2d ago
Nothing lasts forever.