Elon Musk’s Xmail: New Challenge For Sundar Pichai’s Google Dominance

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is eyeing to tick off another item from his to-do list by launching email service platform Xmail that is simpler and more direct than traditional email. The billionaire dropped a hint regarding his upcoming move in a reply to a user on social media platform X. The user suggested that he will shift from Gmail only if he can replace @gmail.com with @x.com email address. In a separate tweet replying to post, Musk said introducing “mail would be cool” and “It’s on the list of things to do”. 

Musk hasn’t made any official announcement regarding the launch. However, it is likely that Tesla owner’s debut in the email service market will shake things up for the existing players like Microsoft Outlook and Yahoo Mail, and challenge Gmail’s decade-long dominance, which has nearly 1.8 billion users. Presently, Google’s Gmail is the second biggest player in the email industry after Apple Mail. It holds nearly 30.7 per cent of the market share, according to the Demandsage website. 

After Chrome, Android More Trouble for Sundar Pichai’s Google 

Musk’s probable entry into the email service industry will further shake the already troubled tech giant’s stronghold over the market. Google is already in deep trouble after a recent landmark ruling by a US court in an antitrust case declared that the tech giant illegally monopolised the online search space via its browser, Chrome. In the same case, the US department of justice has asked Google to sell Chrome. 

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“The playing field is not level because of Google’s conduct, and Google’s quality reflects the ill-gotten gains of an advantage illegally acquired,” said the US government, according to the New York Times. “The remedy must close this gap and deprive Google of these advantages,” the government added. 

The government has asked Google to either sell its smartphone operating system Android or remove the condition that makes it compulsory for users to use its services. Additionally, the government told the court to refrain from contracting with Apple and others to be selected as a default search engine on browers. 

Google will face the biggest setback if the company is forced to sell Chrome and Android which currently has 67 per cent of the total browser market and 71 per cent of the mobile software market, respectively. 

The company has called government’s proposals to sell Chrome and Android if the tech giant fails to come up with suggestions as “extreme”.  

The case is still ongoing, and the court has asked the tech giant to come up with solutions to fix Chrome’s search monopoly. 

With the pressure to keep Chrome and Android under its umbrella, Musk’s entry is likely to pose additional challenges to Sundar Pichai’s Google. 

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