"Googling" is dying. To survive the Agentic Age, the world's biggest search engine needs to stop being a search engine.
Inspiration: The confusion of explaining “Gemini for Workspace” to my mom, and the sheer brilliance of Mark Zuckerberg’s “Meta” pivot.
Remember when Facebook became Meta?
Everyone laughed. “It’s just a distraction!” “The Metaverse is a joke!” “Zuck is losing it.”
The reality? It was genius.
It wasn’t just about escaping the “toxic” label. It was a masterclass in portfolio management. By creating “Meta,” they built a firewall. They separated the reputational debt of the “Facebook” social network—Cambridge Analytica, the political polarization, the “boomer app” reputation—from the parent company.
It allowed them to own the next platform (XR) without being weighed down by the baggage of the old one. It was a strategic reset button.
Google is in the exact same spot.
The name “Google” means “Search.” It is a verb. But the future isn’t search; it’s Agents.
The “Gemini” Strategy (The Pivot)
Here is the problem: “Googling” is a verb that means “to search for blue links.”
That behaviour is declining. According to Google’s own internal data, nearly 40% of Gen Z now prefers TikTok or Instagram for search. For the new generation, “Google” is the library—a place you go for homework. It’s not the internet.
To survive the Agentic Age, Google needs to stop being a search engine. It needs to become an Intelligence Ecosystem.
The Solution: A total rebrand to “Gemini”.
Why G? It’s already there. The browser icon, the favicon, the “Sign in with G” button. It’s on almost every website on earth. It is the path of least resistance.
This allows for the Agentic Shift:
Gmail becomes Gemini Mail (The Agent that manages your correspondence).
Google Maps becomes Gemini Maps (The Navigator).
Google Drive becomes Gemini Drive (The Memory Bank).
Gemini becomes the core intelligence layer that powers “G.”
It unifies the absolute mess of “Gemini,” “Assistant,” “Bard,” and “Google AI” into a single, cohesive identity.
It also solidifies the incredible growth of Gemini itself we have seen recently (especially in the markets).
Had to find a website? Googled it.
Need to find answers, grow connections? It’s time to Gemini it.
It will also be an advantage Google has over OpenAI, as no one uses “I ChatGPT’d this answer”. Instead, they say, “I asked ChatGPT”.
Meanwhile, Gemini’ed it, as silly as it may sound now, provides less friction.
Cleaning House (The Branding Mess)
Right now, Google’s branding is a disaster. We have Gemini, DeepMind, Google Assistant, Pixel AI, Search Generative Experience. It’s fragmented and confusing.
Look at Apple. Apple Maps launched poorly and damaged the brand. Siri lagged behind for a decade. But Apple kept the brands distinct. Now, “Apple Intelligence” wipes the slate clean. It’s a fresh start that erased the “Siri sucks” narrative overnight.
A unified “Gemini” brand resets the expectation. It’s not “Google Search but with AI.” It’s a new product suite for a new era.
This also fixes the Hardware Problem. Right now, a “Google Home” feels like a surveillance device for a search engine. A “Gemini Home” or “Gemini Hub” framed around local agentic intelligence feels more like a smart home manager and less like a data vacuum.
Didn’t Google promote their latest line of Pixels (10) solely relying on Gemini, showing how it is time to rely on an actually smart phone (powered by Gemini)?
People already trust Gemini with their most personal questions.
So, they will also trust Gemini at home, or in their pockets.
(Keeping AndroidOS is completely fine, as they already won the hearts of developers and won the recent antitrust cases against the system).
Rather than the message of “welcome to Gemini on your Google Home devices”.
Right?
The Business Case (Advertisers & Shareholders)
This isn’t just about logos. It’s about money.
1. Advertiser Trust & The “Haus” Factor Right now, SMBs think “Google Ads” = “Search Ads.” They hesitate to spend on YouTube or Demand Gen because they don’t trust the “black box” beyond the search bar.
Recent research from Haus highlights the massive gap between platform-reported metrics and incremental conversions. High-quality, upper-funnel ads (like YouTube) drive massive incremental lift that traditional “last-click” search attribution misses.
By decoupling the ads platform from “Search,” Google can position its ad suite as a full-funnel “Growth Engine.” A rebrand signals to advertisers that they aren’t just buying keywords; they are buying incremental business growth powered by agentic optimization.
2. The Ticker Confusion (The Governance Reset) Why do we have GOOG and GOOGL? Why is the parent company “Alphabet” but the stock is “Google”?
Historically, this split existed to preserve the founders’ voting control. But in a rebrand, consolidating under a single ticker (just Gemini?) would be the ultimate power move. It would require collapsing the share classes, effectively signaling that the company is moving from a “Founder Monarchy” to a mature, public institution.
It simplifies the valuation story for Wall Street: You aren’t buying a search engine and some science projects; you are buying the infrastructure of the Agentic Economy.
3. The Defense Separation This is crucial. “Google” the consumer brand shouldn’t be associated with military contracts. Remember Project Maven? The backlash was immense.
A rebrand allows for a clean separation of church and state.
Consumer Brand (“Gemini”): Friendly, helpful, personal agents.
Parent/Defense Brand (Alphabet/Gemini-Defense): Hard-tech, government contracts, cybersecurity.
You can build the “Palantir of the West” inside the parent company without tainting the “friendly assistant” brand used by billions of consumers.
The Future Portfolio
YouTube: It’s a behemoth. It doesn’t need Google. In fact, being tied to “Search” holds it back. Waymo: It’s scaling faster than anyone realizes. It’s a logistics and transportation company, not a search company.
The founders (Larry and Sergey) loved “Alphabet” because it was clever (Alpha-Bet). But clever doesn’t sell. Clarity sells.
The marketing team needs to walk into the boardroom and kill the “Alphabet” experiment. It’s time for G.
Conclusion: The New Era
Google isn’t dying. They have the best infrastructure, the best data, and the best talent. Gemini 3 and Project Astra prove the tech is ready.
But their brand is an anchor.
Antitrust regulators are circling. Search volume is fluctuating. The novelty is wearing off.
A rebrand isn’t just a logo change; it’s a survival mechanism. It resets the antitrust clock, re-engages the youth, and clarifies the product.
If they don’t rename, they risk being the “legacy search engine” while OpenAI and Perplexity define the future. It’s time to turn the page.