Google is under fire after pressuring tech influencers to only promote its new Pixel smartphone — or risk being excluded from a program that provided early access to the devices.
The Big Tech giant invited content creators to join a “Team Pixel” program, which grants them early access to the devices before the rest of the public. Earlier this month, Google unveiled a new lineup of Pixel smartphones designed to be better integrated with artificial intelligence tools.
If influencers opt in to the program, they are “expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile devices,” according to screenshots obtained by The Verge and circulating on social media.
The influencers are warned that “if it appears other brands are being preferred over the Pixel, we will need to cease the relationship between the brand and the creator.”
The stipulation raised immediate red flags among some content creators, who saw the move as an effort by Google to guarantee positive reviews of the latest Pixel model under the guise of sponsored content.
Analyst Max Weinbach, a previous Team Pixel participant, noted the clause was a “new thing” this year.
Tech reviewer Adam Matlock said he was “formally removing myself from team pixel” in protest.
“It’s been a good run but the program is no longer in line with my ethics or in the best interest of my channel and the content I provide to my views,” Matlock wrote on X.
Marques Brownlee, a well-known tech product reviewer who is not part of Team Pixel, argued the policy makes it difficult for consumers to distinguish between impartial reviews and paid content.
“It’s kind of frustrating for people just trying to do reviews,” Brownlee said in a video on X. “My advice is, if you are a tech reviewer, do not ever sign up for anything that makes you team one thing over the other. That just isn’t a good objective move if you’re trying to present an objective review.”
In a statement to The Verge, a Google spokesperson said: “#TeamPixel is a distinct program, separate from our press and creator reviews programs,” which aren’t subject to the same requirement on their coverage of the Pixel.
The Team Pixel program is a collaboration between Google and a PR firm called 1000heads. Participants are supposed to label their posts with “#teampixel” or “#giftfromgoogle” hashtags to comply with federal disclosure rules.
“The goal of #TeamPixel is to get Pixel devices into the hands of content creators, not press and tech reviewers,” the spokesperson said. “We missed the mark with this new language that appeared in the #TeamPixel form yesterday, and it has been removed.”
Representatives for Google and 1000heads did not immediately return requests for further comment.
