Pichai takes jab at Microsoft, promises major Search revamp

The days of typing a few keywords into a box and scrolling through ten blue links are quickly coming to an end.

Speaking at the NYT's DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated that Google Search is set to "change profoundly" in 2025. Pichai claimed the search engine will soon tackle far more complex questions than ever before, adding that users will be surprised by what Search can do as early as next year.

Calling out Microsoft's reliance on OpenAI

Pichai also took direct aim at Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, who earlier this year quipped that Google should have been the "default winner" in the AI race.

Pichai fired back, saying he would welcome a side-by-side comparison of Google's models against Microsoft's own models. He pointedly noted that Microsoft is simply "using someone else's models," referencing Redmond's deep reliance on OpenAI.

Google has already started rolling out AI search summaries and video search in Lens this year, and is currently prepping a major update to Gemini to counter pressure from OpenAI, Microsoft, and Perplexity.

Why it matters

For everyday users, a truly modernized Search could eliminate the tedious back-and-forth of piecing together answers across dozens of open tabs. Instead of just pointing you to websites, Search is trying to become an engine that synthesizes complex tasks end-to-end.

For the industry, Pichai's comments highlight the core ideological divide between the two tech giants: Google's full-stack, vertically integrated AI approach versus Microsoft's aggressive partnership-driven playbook. Pichai's jab was sharp, but Google still faces a massive dilemma.

We think Google's biggest hurdle isn't building state-of-the-art models—it's cannibalization. The more effectively an AI answer solves a user's problem on the spot, the fewer reasons that user has to click on high-margin search ads. Reinventing Search without breaking its golden-goose business model will be Pichai's real test in 2025.