News Summary

• Google held a live event for its new Pixel smartphones on Wednesday.
• The event was a watered-down, cringey, and at times almost QVC-like sales event.
• The awkward event made Google feel out of touch, but 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 to put AI into the hands of consumers through its smartphones.