{"id":162276,"date":"2025-08-20T23:05:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T23:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/162276\/"},"modified":"2025-08-20T23:05:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T23:05:09","slug":"google-sorry-but-that-pixel-event-was-a-cringefest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/162276\/","title":{"rendered":"Google, sorry, but that Pixel event was a cringefest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI P 6 8! I P 6 8!,\u201d shouted late-night host Jimmy Fallon, trying and failing to fake excitement about the new Pixel smartphones. Fallon, who likely had never heard the technical term before, didn\u2019t seem to realize that IP68 \u2014 a rating that indicates phones can survive being submerged in water \u2014 isn\u2019t all that interesting as a selling point, nor is this water-resistance feature new to Google\u2019s Pixel line. It\u2019s been around<\/a> since the 2018 Pixel 3. We\u2019re on the Pixel 10 now, for reference.<\/p>\n

In a surreal moment that illustrated the tendency to overhype anything associated with AI advances, Google decided to pull out all the stops for its Pixel 10 live event on Wednesday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s new phones, of course, are interesting on their own merits<\/a>, as they showcase how Google is integrating AI into everyday consumer experiences like taking photos, texting friends, translating phone calls, getting help out in the real world, and more.<\/p>\n

The awkward event made Google feel out of touch, however. It also suggests that the company felt it needed buzz to cover up for a lack of tech advances, which is not the case. Whether people like it or not, Google is rushing ahead of Apple<\/a> to put AI into the hands of consumers through its smartphones. Had the tech giant focused on that and shown real-world examples \u2014 not those involving celebrity racecar drivers<\/a>, basketball stars<\/a>, or Peloton personalities<\/a> \u2014 it would have been better off.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credits:<\/strong>Screenshot from Google’s live event<\/p>\n

Instead, it went for buzz with paid celeb appearances, including event host Jimmy Fallon and others like Stephen Curry, podcaster Alex Cooper, the Jonas Brothers, and more. The result was a watered-down, cringey, and at times almost QVC-like sales event, which Reddit users immediately dubbed<\/a> \u201cunwatchable.\u201d<\/p>\n

In large part, this had to do with Fallon\u2019s performance. <\/p>\n

Trying to shift his goofy late-night persona to a corporate event, he ended up coming across as deeply uninterested in the technology, necessitating an over-the-top display of decidedly less-than-genuine enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

Techcrunch event<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t|
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 27-29, 2025\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is exciting. It\u2019s like a Taylor Swift album announcement for nerds,\u201d he began, insulting the broad audience of people who would, in fact, tune in with interest to learn about the latest in smartphone and AI advances.<\/p>\n

Attempting to be a stand-in for the \u201cmainstream consumer,\u201d whoever Google\u2019s marketers believe that to be, Fallon interjected with banal questions, like what\u2019s the meaning of \u201cagentic\u201d or why is everyone talking about AI in smartphones, or what\u2019s a \u201cwalled garden?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credits:<\/strong>Screenshot from Google’s live event<\/p>\n

These high-level questions led only to basic explanations from Google\u2019s execs, like Rick Osterloh, Google\u2019s senior vice president, Platforms & Devices \u2014 a job that Fallon joked sounded \u201cmade up.\u201d (It sounds like a pretty straightforward title to us, especially compared to much weirder tech jobs like chief happiness officer<\/a> or digital prophet.<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Answers, as a result, were dumbed down for everyday users, despite the fact that they are probably very much interested in which AI models are being used, how they work, or whether their privacy is at risk when running AI on their personal devices.<\/p>\n

During the event, Fallon showed little reaction or curiosity about the interesting tidbits, like when Osterloh noted that Google\u2019s AI assistant Gemini is coming to its augmented reality glasses. Yet he pretended to be an avid user of some tech that he was clearly just shown how to use, like Circle to Search, which lets users do a Google search by tapping, circling, or highlighting anything on their screen.<\/p>\n

At another point, Fallon held up signs with quotes from supposed Reddit users about how great Pixel phones are. \u201cThis first person says, \u2018whenever I\u2019m using a phone without Circle to Search, I feel like I\u2019m in the Stone Age,\u201d said Fallon. (C\u2019mon, Google, no one said that. Ever. And certainly not a Redditor.)<\/p>\n

Later, Fallon embraced Google Vice President of Marketing Adrienne Lofton like a BFF and feigned excitement over a table covered with smartphones, watches, and earbuds. (Osterloh had meanwhile gone for the handshake-quick-back-pat combo.)<\/p>\n

Lofton, looking hip in a denim-tuxedo jacket, couldn\u2019t make the marketing speak feel that casual, though.<\/p>\n

Instead, it suddenly felt like we were watching one of those old home-shopping TV channels, like QVC or HSN, where salespeople gush about whatever product is in front of them and you can see sales numbers increase with every compliment.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credits:<\/strong>screenshot from Google’s live event<\/p>\n

Lofton: \u201cWe\u2019re taking the world\u2019s best smartphone, and we\u2019re upping our own game with the 10. It\u2019s powerful, it\u2019s fast, and feel the satin finish on the edges and the camera bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fallon: \u201cOoh, silky!\u201d<\/p>\n

Lofton: \u201cSee what I\u2019m saying? The design of the aesthetic is unbelievable, and it\u2019s a Pixel. So the camera is unbelievable. And the colors, we think \u2014 look at this palette. We think these colors are sexy as hell.\u201d <\/p>\n

Fallon: \u201cWell, hold it. It\u2019s Wednesday afternoon. Let\u2019s keep it PG.\u201c<\/p>\n

The cringe. The absolute cringe. <\/p>\n

Later in the event, other stars popped in for their moments, both live and pre-recorded. The Jonas Brothers made a music video with a Pixel phone, which played at the event\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image Credits:<\/strong>Screenshot from Google’s live event<\/p>\n

Only a few of the celeb interactions felt natural. Cooper came across as herself, much like in her own interviews. The chat with photographer Andre D. Wagner<\/a> was also a brief moment of authenticity, as he talked about his art and technique.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s understandable that Google would want to differentiate itself from the Apple event format to draw attention to its own hardware and software advances. But who are tech announcements for if not for the people who care about tech? If Google is trying to reach the mainstream tech enthusiast, it doesn\u2019t need to do something like this. It just has to get its phones in the hands of creators who people actually watch, like Marques Brownlee<\/a>. (Which, thankfully, it did<\/a>, too.)<\/p>\n

We\u2019re always looking to evolve, and by providing some insight into your perspective and feedback into TechCrunch and our coverage and events, you can help us! Fill out\u00a0this survey<\/a>\u00a0to let us know how we\u2019re doing and get the chance to win a prize in return!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cI P 6 8! I P 6 8!,\u201d shouted late-night host Jimmy Fallon, trying and failing to fake…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":162277,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2722,1029,84249,31341,158,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-162276","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-google","9":"tag-jimmy-fallon","10":"tag-made-by-google","11":"tag-pixel","12":"tag-technology","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115063601516554699","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}