When the relatively obscure startup OpenAI unveiled its artificial intelligence chatbot, the event marked not just an incremental step forward but a transformative milestone that effectively inaugurated the modern era of generative AI. The debut of this conversational system captured public imagination and redefined expectations of what artificial intelligence could achieve in daily life, prompting a rapid cultural and technological shift that even the most established tech giants could not ignore.
However, for Google—a long-standing titan of the technology industry with nearly two decades of deep investment in AI research and development—the so‑called “ChatGPT moment” carried a different resonance. Sundar Pichai, who serves as the CEO of both Google and its parent company, Alphabet, offered a rare glimpse into his personal and corporate reaction to ChatGPT’s debut while speaking at Dreamforce, Salesforce’s annual technology gathering. During his onstage conversation with Salesforce co‑founder and CEO Marc Benioff, Pichai was asked to recount what it felt like for Google—widely regarded at the time as the undisputed leader in artificial intelligence development—when a comparatively small organization based in San Francisco released a product that seemed to instantaneously capture the spotlight and shift the global dialogue on AI innovation.
Pichai explained that long before the public release of ChatGPT, Google’s teams had already made substantial progress in developing their own sophisticated AI models, including an internal chatbot prototype that demonstrated considerable promise. Yet, he acknowledged OpenAI’s boldness in bringing its product to the public first, noting succinctly but candidly, “Credit to OpenAI—they put it out ahead of us.” That decision, he implied, reflected not just technical readiness but a distinctive cultural willingness to assume risk and pace innovation aggressively.
When OpenAI released ChatGPT in the final months of 2022, it did so with the strategic backing of Microsoft—one of Google’s fiercest competitors in the broader technology ecosystem. The partnership immediately positioned ChatGPT as both a technological marvel and a competitive threat, challenging Google’s long‑standing dominance in the field of AI. According to reporting from *The New York Times*, the unexpected impact of ChatGPT’s success prompted Google’s leadership to declare a “code red,” a corporate alert signaling a critical moment that demanded swift and coordinated response. Pichai moved decisively to redirect teams and resources toward accelerating Google’s AI initiatives, intensifying a race that had already been underway behind the scenes.
In his discussion with Benioff, Pichai reflected on how the emergence of ChatGPT reminded him of disruptive inflection points he had witnessed earlier in his career. He drew vivid parallels with previous moments in the evolution of the consumer internet: for instance, when Google was experimenting with video search in 2006 and YouTube suddenly surged into prominence seemingly overnight, or when Facebook’s growing emphasis on photo sharing was unexpectedly challenged by the rise of Instagram. In both historical cases, the quicker-moving newcomers forced incumbents to adapt rapidly—an outcome that eventually led to strategic acquisitions. (Google later purchased YouTube, while Facebook acquired Instagram.)
Pichai admitted that Google’s internal chatbot might have reached the market only a few months later had circumstances been different. The company, he explained, had not yet refined its model to a degree of reliability and polish that would meet the rigorous standards expected of a Google product. Many of the technology’s underlying issues still required resolution before a public launch could be responsibly undertaken. From his perspective, a cautious approach was essential not only to maintain product quality but also to protect Google’s global reputation for trustworthiness and technical excellence.
Still, he underscored that Google at that point was far from unprepared. Years of substantial investment in research, custom hardware development—including the creation of specialized AI chips—and cutting-edge infrastructure had created a formidable foundation. Thus, when ChatGPT debuted, Pichai viewed it less as a threat and more as a signal that the competitive “window” in AI development had decisively shifted, offering new opportunities for innovation. Contrary to the anxious speculation that swirled outside the company, he described his response as one of genuine excitement and renewed determination.
Nevertheless, the decision not to immediately release a comparable chatbot was intentional. Pichai noted that Google, as a company with immense global visibility, faced far greater reputational stakes than a smaller, more agile startup. A misstep in such a public domain could have far-reaching implications for users’ trust and for the company’s brand. Eventually, in March 2023, Google introduced its own conversational AI under the name Bard—a product that was later rebranded to Gemini as it continued to evolve. Despite the intense scrutiny surrounding its rollout, Bard’s introduction signaled Google’s formal entry into the generative AI marketplace that ChatGPT had so dramatically ignited.
Business Insider reached out to Google for comment on these events, but the company did not issue a response. Still, Pichai’s reflections at Dreamforce reveal a nuanced portrait of leadership under pressure—a recognition that in the landscape of rapid technological change, even industry giants must remain agile, humble, and willing to learn from the bold maneuvers of smaller challengers.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/sundar-pichai-google-ai-beat-by-openai-chatgpt-launch-2025-10
