Pichai on ChatGPT: Why Google waited on Gemini
Pichai explains why Google waited after ChatGPT
Sundar Pichai says OpenAI shipped ChatGPT first, while Google waited over reputational risk and readiness. Bard arrived in March 2023 after internal work.
At a glance
- OpenAI shipped ChatGPT first; Google already had an internal chatbot but held it back.
- Pichai cites product readiness and reputational risk as key reasons for waiting.
- Google’s prior AI investments in research, custom chips, and infrastructure positioned it for a fast pivot.
- Google launched Bard in March 2023, later rebranding it as Gemini.
Why Google didn’t race to release
Speaking at Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, Google CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged that OpenAI beat Google to market with ChatGPT. He said Google had made significant progress on conversational AI internally but opted not to release it at the time because early versions didn’t meet the standard the company was comfortable putting under the Google brand.
According to Business Insider’s account of Pichai’s conversation with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, the initial builds still had issues that would have been difficult for users to accept from Google. Pichai framed the decision as weighing speed against trust and product readiness.
Speed vs. reputational risk
Pichai added that Google saw a higher “reputational risk” in rushing out a chatbot than OpenAI faced. Despite deep investments in AI research, custom silicon, and infrastructure, leadership chose not to release a direct competitor immediately, prioritizing reliability and brand expectations.
The consumer internet playbook
Pichai compared the moment to earlier shifts in the consumer internet. In 2006, YouTube quickly took off as Google built video search; later, Facebook’s focus on photos set the stage for Instagram’s rise. Google acquired YouTube, and Facebook later bought Instagram. The analogy underscored how consumer products can change direction fast—and how incumbents must decide when to move and when to wait.
Competitive pressure and Google’s response
OpenAI launched ChatGPT in late 2022 with backing from Microsoft, escalating competition. The New York Times reported Google leadership issued a “code red,” shifting teams to prioritize AI after the launch. Google followed with its own chatbot in March 2023 as Bard, which it later rebranded as Gemini.
Bottom line
Pichai’s comments suggest Google balanced urgency against brand trust and product readiness before entering the chatbot race—and has since expanded generative AI across its products under the Gemini banner.
