Google Is Behind — Not Simply on AI. Now It’s Scrambling for Dominance.

Hey there, buds. I am Diamond Naga Siu, and I will be writing to you from San Diego for the foreseeable future. Huge due to my editor Matt Weinberger and my teammate Paayal Zaveri for filling in whereas I wrapped up my cross-county transfer.

I am a giant fan of distant work. However I am going to additionally miss going into the Insider newsroom to chat with my good coworkers and study from them.

This Amazon employee equally enjoys workplace life. However she likes it a lot that she would not suppose Amazon’s controversial return-to-office mandate is sufficient. She informed my colleague Sarah Jackson how the coverage was unappealing sufficient that she felt compelled to go away the corporate.

Earlier than I am going to ponder my main life selections, let’s dive into as we speak’s tech.

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1. Google blew its pandemic alternative. Now, it is taking part in catchup. The search large is fairly dominant. But it surely did not adapt shortly sufficient when the pandemic hit. Google Meet pales in comparison with Zoom. And Microsoft’s Workplace 365 providers are far more ubiquitous.

• The corporate is presently additionally lagging within the AI area (due to the buzzy AI chatbot ChatGPT). Its personal competitor chatbot, Bard, remains to be being examined internally. Google’s generative AI technique has been all speak with no motion.
• Till yesterday, that’s, as the corporate introduced that it is integrating the tech into instruments like Google Docs and Gmail — and the brand new technique might give it an edge in a head-to-head race with Microsoft.
• My colleagues Rosalie Chan and Hugh Langley talked with 16 present/former staff about Google’s missed alternatives and its steep hill to climb.

Go inside Google’s newest AI push right here. 

In different information:

2. Mark Zuckerberg’s shrinking metaverse. The Meta CEO went from obsessed to over it inside a yr. Now, the corporate goes all in on AI as a substitute. Extra on the corporate’s abrupt pivot right here. Bonus: Why Meta’s layoffs are due to Mark’s errors.

3. AI productiveness instruments made work tougher as a substitute of simpler. AI promised to make folks extra productive at work. So my colleague Aaron Mok tried 4 of them, together with one software that would attend conferences for him. Try his experiences with the AI instruments right here.

4. Apple joins the penny-pinching pattern. It stays the one Huge Tech firm to keep away from widespread layoffs. However the iPhone maker is now delaying bonuses and monitoring workplace attendance, per a Bloomberg report. See all the corporate’s cost-cutting strategies right here.

5. Utilizing ChatGPT to show highschool science and math. Shannon Ahern was frightened the tech would take her job, however she now makes use of it to organize for sophistication. She informed Insider how ChatGPT is making her life simpler. Extra on her techie teachings right here.

6. Banking classes from the Silicon Valley Financial institution nightmare. Utilizing a number of banks and using a CFO are simply two of the highest classes from the digital financial institution run. Try all 5 tricks to maintain your cash protected right here. Bonus: SVB’s financials gave a multi-month heads-up on its collapse.

7. Crimson flags that an employer would not care about work-life stability. As a substitute of asking an employer about their method, be careful for pink flags like unclear objectives and hobbyless staff. Get the complete record of warning indicators right here.

8. Tesla proprietor unintentionally unlocked and drove off in another person’s automobile. This Tesla proprietor mentioned his app unlocked an almost an identical Mannequin 3 to his. An unfamiliar crack within the windshield and a lacking cellphone charger began to lift his suspicions. Extra on the mistaken automobile identification right here.

Odds and ends:

9. A urologist needs to make penis implants as frequent as breast implants. However a number of sufferers mentioned the surgical procedure left them deformed and in excruciating ache. Extra on the rising market right here.

10. Prime 9 household automobiles. The Chevrolet Suburban and Hyundai Santa Fe made the lower primarily based on inside area, high quality, and options. Get the complete record of family-friendly rides right here.

What we’re watching as we speak:

Curated by Diamond Naga Siu in San Diego. (Suggestions or suggestions? E-mail dsiu@insider.com or tweet @diamondnagasiu) Edited by Matt Weinberger (tweet @gamoid) in San Francisco and Hallam Bullock (tweet @hallam_bullock) in London.