Google Gemini: Fast Following ChatGPT and Dodging DeepSeek

Tulsi Jayakumar, Rohit Prabhudesai

Product #:W44325_P

Supplier:Ivey

Discipline:Information Systems, Strategy

Setting:United States, 2025

Details:Case (PDF) • 9 pages • 2025-06-13

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In March 2025, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Google LLC, Sundar Pichai, was faced with a sobering reality: Gemini, Google’s generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbot, was struggling to stand out in an increasingly crowded and commoditized market. A podcast featuring the CEO of a competing AI company highlighted the diminishing differentiation among GenAI chatbots, noting that even early innovations were being quickly replicated. Google had launched its first GenAI chatbot, Bard, shortly after ChatGPT, the market disruptor and leader, appeared, but Gemini’s offerings lagged ChatGPT and faced growing pressure from cost-effective challengers like DeepSeek R1. For an organization intending to be at the forefront of the AI frontier, Pichai had to ensure that Gemini and Google came out on top in this battle for supremacy. At a strategic crossroads, Google’s CEO has to decide how to get Gemini out from the leader’s shadow, counter the emerging threats, and establish itself as the market leader in the GenAI chatbot space.

Learning Objectives

This case can be used in strategic management courses within MBA and executive education programs focused on strategy, innovation, digital transformation, or technology entrepreneurship. It introduces students to key concepts such as entry dynamics, competitive advantage, and strategic positioning in rapidly evolving industries. Particularly relevant to the technology sector, the case helps students analyze industry structure and evaluate the range of strategic responses firms can adopt to build and sustain competitive advantage. After working through the case and the assignment questions, students will be able to do the following:

Comprehend the rapidly shifting nature of competition, especially in a technological segment.
Understand the dynamics of entry speed and the implications on competitive advantage.
Assess how a fast follower can craft a competitive advantage for itself.