Google CEO Sundar Pichai reflected on key moments in Google's history during a conversation on the ‘All-In Podcast’ with David Friedberg, including high-stakes decisions the company considered but ultimately didn't pursue. One notable example was the potential acquisition of Netflix.

When asked about his biggest regrets, Pichai mentioned many “small regrets” over the years, particularly around missed acquisitions. He revealed that Google executives intensely debated acquiring Netflix at one point but clarified that he wouldn’t term the decision a “regret.” Despite Google's ventures into television through platforms like Google TV and YouTube TV, the company has never entered the long-form entertainment streaming market like Netflix has.

Pichai also addressed concerns about whether artificial intelligence (AI) could threaten traditional search. He reaffirmed Google’s commitment to AI, stating, “We really felt that AI is what will drive the biggest progress in search.” He cited the success of Google’s ‘AI Overview’ feature, which is used by over 1.5 billion users across more than 150 countries, as evidence of AI's role in the company. Pichai also noted that AI is accelerating growth across other Google ventures, including YouTube, Google Cloud, and Waymo.

In the interview, Pichai expressed pride in Google’s role at the forefront of technological innovation. He noted that it’s rare for companies to win Nobel Prizes while also building successful businesses. He referenced the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to DeepMind’s CEO Demis Hassabis and director John Jumper for developing AlphaFold, an AI system that predicts the 3D structure of proteins.