Google CEO Sundar Pichai recently made it clear to employees at the company's Global Strategy meeting that the stakes are high for 2025, as the company faces increasingly fierce AI competition and regulatory hurdles.

"We need to internalize the urgency of the present moment; as a company, we need to act faster. The risks are high, this is a disruptive time."

Pichai stated that building a "large new Business" is the top priority, with the Gemini app expected to be the next to reach 0.5 billion users.

DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis mentioned that the team will "accelerate" the development of the Gemini app, and the product will see significant upgrades in the next year or two.

AI has become the core Global Strategy of Google.

Google's search Business still dominates, but the emergence of generative AI has provided new ways for people to obtain online information, bringing new competitors like OpenAI and Perplexity.

According to CNBC, Pichai emphasized at the December 18th 2025 Global Strategy meeting that Google plans to increase investment through its Gemini AI model to maintain a competitive edge.

Pichai stated that building a "large new business" is the primary task, with the Gemini application expected to be the next to reach 0.5 billion users:

"Expanding the scale of Gemini on the Consumer side will be the biggest focus next year."

He acknowledged that Google needs to accelerate its pace to catch up:

"Historically, you don’t always need to be first, but you must execute well and truly become the best in your category. I think that’s the significance of 2025."

At the meeting, Pichai presented a chart of large language models showing Gemini 1.5 leading competitors like OpenAI's GPT.

DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis stated that the team will "accelerate" the development of the Gemini application, and the product will be significantly upgraded in the next year or two.

The Astra project is an experimental version of a universal assistant announced by Google, which will be updated in the first half of 2025. Despite employees raising concerns about high subscription fees, Hassabis stated that there are currently no plans to launch a subscription service similar to the $200 option, and the $20 premium version of Gemini is considered to be worth the price.

In addition, Josh Woodward, head of Jules Google Labs, showcased a coding assistant named Jules, which he claimed represents "the future direction of Software Development."

Global regulatory pressure is increasing.

Regulation of technology giants is gradually intensifying globally. In the USA, Google's monopoly behavior in the search market has already triggered legal lawsuits.

In August, a federal judge ruled that Google illegally holds a monopoly position in the search market. Subsequently, the USA Department of Justice requested Google to divest its Chrome browser business in November. The competition regulatory body in the United Kingdom also issued a statement opposing Google's advertising technology operations.

Pichai acknowledged, "We are facing global scrutiny, which is inextricably linked to our scale and success." He continuously reminds employees that there is a need to "stay motivated."

Google is undergoing a widespread cost-cutting round, with approximately 6% layoffs in 2023. As of the end of the third quarter, Alphabet had 181,269 employees, a decrease of about 5% from the end of 2022.