Episode 141 - Google I/O 2026 (Oh, and go watch Star Wars)

Technology, by its very nature, is in a constant state of change. What was yesterday’s banner new product or feature sure to take the world by storm is today’s soon-forgotten commodity that we-the-user already take for granted. It’s the way of things.  That said, every so often, the change is so big, so foundational, and so… irreversible… it hits just a little bit different.  That level of change, while still very much in-progress, felt like the inescapable truth of Google I/O this year.  Search, while still very much at the forefront, continues to evolve in front of our eyes from an answer-machine to an AI-driven buddy here to help you allegedly solve all the mysteries of the Universe. Shopping need no longer be confined to the four digital walls of a single online storefront, and instead span the very web itself with one Shopping Cart to rule them all. AI itself shouldn’t just be the tool of the tech-centric nerd, rather front and center to help grandma turn her hand-written recipe book into a vibe coded cooking app her whole family can enjoy…  At least, this is what Google says (more loudly than ever), the moment is.  Peer just underneath the surface though, and it’s so, so much bigger than even any of that. This isn’t a fight for market share, platform scale, or even Silicon Valley bragging rights. No, they would have you believe this is nothing more than a fight for survival. The survival of their companies, their mission, and perhaps even the human race itself.  You know, because of shopping carts… Listen, I couldn’t agree more… something about this messaging is… out of whack The stakes seem misaligned with the message, and behind them the dollars seem misaligned with the payday.  But, in the meantime, another I/O has come-and-gone… and with it, Google paints a future not of itself, but of its vision for the future of the web…