The End of Google’s Monopoly on Search
How AI-first discovery is reshaping business strategy, customer trust, and competitive advantage.
There was a time when Google wasn’t just a search engine - it was search.
Pop culture even cemented it. In movies like The Holiday, Cameron Diaz books her trip by “just Googling it.” For years, every household echoed the same verb: just Google it.
I know this world well. I worked at both Google and Microsoft, and saw the dynamics up close. Bing had surprising strength in certain categories. But Google owned something far more powerful: it owned mindshare.
Google wasn’t simply where you searched. It was where you went.
That dominance is finally starting to shift.
The New Gatekeepers
More and more, people aren’t opening Google at all. They’re turning straight to ChatGPT or another large language model. Instead of wading through blue links, they get direct, conversational answers.
This isn’t just a revenue challenge for Google - it’s a business model shift for everyone.
If customers no longer search the way they used to, then leaders and brands need to rethink how they show up in this new landscape.
Here’s where the game is headed:
Beyond SEO → Rankings matter less. What matters is whether AI pulls from you as a trusted source.
Move fast → Annual plans won’t cut it. Leaders need 30-60-90 day cycles to stay relevant as platforms evolve.
Trust = currency → When customers ask AI for answers, will your brand be the one it cites? Authority matters more than keywords.
Test early → Don’t wait for the playbook. Experiment now.
The Takeaway
We’ve left the Google era of predictable dominance. Discovery is AI-first. Answers are direct. And the ground is shifting daily.
The leaders who win won’t be the ones who hold their ground, they’ll be the ones who move with it.
How does the Substack setting "do not use my content to train AI" impact this? When I was researching, it seemed like there wasn't a clear answer. I know that even with that deselected Substack posts get indexed, but I would assume it would exclude AI search unless we allow AI training. That's just my gut feel, nothing concrete. What's yours?
I don’t disagree at all but think this will take a few moments longer than “immediately” - now is the time to blow up your existing playbooks, invest in experiments and train and up skill your teams! Those who wait or hesitate may be lost forever.