Google CEO Sundar Pichai wants to partner with Apple on new projects

Posted:
in General Discussion edited May 2020
Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said he is "committed" to find other opportunities to collaborate with Apple beyond the companies' Exposure Notification system.

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, left, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, right.
Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, left, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, right.


The Google chief executive recently sat down with Wired's Steven Levy to speak about topics ranging from working remotely to the Apple-Google contact tracing API, which was created to help stop the spread of coronavirus and released on Wednesday.

When asked about whether the partnership could "open the door" to further collaboration between the companies, Pichai said that he was "committed to finding other opportunities" for that to happen, adding that he had "the same sense" from Apple CEO Tim Cook.

"Large companies working together in service of society is really good for the world," Pichai told Wired

A public partnership this close between the two titans isn't common. But a report from April detailing the development of the framework indicated that, although the initial work was separate, Google got on board fairly quickly.

"Both teams independently had started working on technology to support health agencies in their contact tracing work," Pichai said. "Very quickly both sides realized that for this to work well it has to be available everywhere."

From there, engineering teams at both Apple and Google started reaching out to each other. At some point, Pichai said, he and Cook decided to interface directly. Once the framework was finalized, the two CEOs gave it their final seal of approval. The API was first announced on April 10.

Pichai told Wired that he meets with Cook "periodically." He added that Google partners with Apple in many areas, and when it came to the Exposure Notification framework, they felt "the sum was greater than the parts."

The Google chief expanded on some of the strong privacy protections baked into the API, stating that the opt-in portion of the framework is an important aspect of the process.

When asked about whether contact tracing won't be effective because of the opt-in clause, Pichai said that the system could have a meaningful impact on virus mitigation even if only 10 to 20% of users participate.

"We also realized we have to give users real privacy guarantees," he said. "I think we struck the right balance."

Pichai also said that it's unlikely that Google will remain 100% remote, saying that it's still too early to tell how many employees could be working from home once the pandemic ends. Google, and the rest of Silicon Valley, have been under stay-at-home order since March 16.

The full interview with Pichai, which covers topics like misinformation on Google's platforms and the possibility of product offerings in China, is available over at Wired.
«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 27
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Tim Cook:  “Not bloody likely!”
    lkruppJWSCrotateleftbyterob53watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 27
    emoelleremoeller Posts: 574member
    Let's see the last time Apple partnered with Google's CEO, Google hatched Android.   
    PatchyThePirateV.2mdriftmeyerlkruppcornchipElCapitanJinTechwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 27
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Er, no. Let not make a habit of this. 


    cornchipElCapitanF_Kent_Dwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 27
    mac_dogmac_dog Posts: 1,069member
    Headline: fucking hilarious!!! Am I in the right app?
    edited May 2020 watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 27
    anantksundaramanantksundaram Posts: 20,403member
    No way. Not in a thousand years. 

    That said, Pichai seems to be a tad more principled than that Schmidt guy. 
    roundaboutnowwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 27
    EsquireCatsEsquireCats Posts: 1,268member
    Says the company that is still trying to ram webm down everyone's throats.
    rotateleftbytewatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 27
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,695member
    No way. Not in a thousand years. 

    That said, Pichai seems to be a tad more principled than that Schmidt guy. 
    Anybody is more principled than Schmidt
    cornchiproundaboutnowwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 27
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,462member
    “Partner“ how about follow Apple TV user interface guidelines with your YouTube app first
    cornchipElCapitanF_Kent_Drob53watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 27
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member
    Let's not and say we didn't. There is zero vested interest in Apple partnering with Google, Google wants in on Apple's Medical ideas and will carp and sell knock-off clones to boot.
    cornchiprotateleftbytewatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 27
    JWSCJWSC Posts: 1,203member
    Tim Cook:  “Not bloody likely!”
    Mole V2.0
    SpamSandwichcornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 27
    wonkothesanewonkothesane Posts: 1,717member
    Thanks, but no thanks. 
    cornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 27
    applguyapplguy Posts: 235member
    I’m sure he does. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 27
    rotateleftbyterotateleftbyte Posts: 1,630member
    "Beware Greeks bearing Gifts" said the man who survived the fall of Troy.
    Tim Cook and actually any company who sees this sort of rhetoric aimed in their direction should basically run for the hills.

    We had the infamous EEE (Embrace, Extend and Extiguish) mantra label given to Microsoft... Well IMHO, Google has taken this to new levels. All they want is to get access to your life. They need that to keep selling that data to advertisers. That is their business model. Everything else is ancillary.


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 27
    digitoldigitol Posts: 276member
    I absolutely can't stand google. I dislike amazon, Microsoft can go to hell, Apple is not that great either, but taking the other's into consideration; NOWAY.. Apple for me all day.
    superkloton
  • Reply 15 of 27
    Google has a lot to win by standing next to Apple on any stage. It would for ex. legitimize their dirty business and send signals to the rest of the world that “-Look, we at Google are actually alright. Even Apple hang with us”.

    It would also give Google access to highly valuable Apple market connections. Both of these advantages would remain at Google long after any breakup with Apple.

    So, what would Apple’s take be on this presumed partnership? I can’t think of anything.
    superklotonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 27
    seanjseanj Posts: 318member
    Apple and Google team up to destroy Microsoft’s monopolistic hold over corporations? Sure! 

    Other ventures... not so sure...
  • Reply 17 of 27
    seanj said:
    Apple and Google team up to destroy Microsoft’s monopolistic hold over corporations? Sure! 

    Other ventures... not so sure...
    Isn't Google a virtual Monopoly when it comes to search?
    They are well up there with the level of data slurping. If Google were to return to the 'Do No Evil' days then fine but otherwise... Where's my 40ft barge pole to keep them away.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 27
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,299member
    Tim Cook:  “Not bloody likely!”
    More like “we Have any number of open source projects “
  • Reply 19 of 27
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Yet despite all the above comments they'll ignore 'em and partner on more projects anyway. They already work together in areas of cloud security, media standards, IoT' device interoperability and more. They may be competitors in some areas but they're somewhat friendly ones who profit immensely from each other. CEO's are more pragmatic than some AI members.
    superklotonmuthuk_vanalingamseanj
  • Reply 20 of 27
    Says the company that is still trying to ram webm down everyone's throats.
    You don't like it because it's WebM or because it's developed by Google? Don't answer it, I know the answer.

    I'd rather have open-source instead of all-proprietary Apple.
    ankitpati
Sign In or Register to comment.