Is Gmail shutting down? Viral claim explored amid Google's apology over Gemini backlash

Rumors of Google "sunsetting" its flagship product, Gmail, spread online causing widespread panic. The claims started after the tech company issued an apology for its AI-powered chatbot, Gemini, that received criticism for being racist toward Caucasians.

The rumors started after an X user Chris Bakke, claiming to be "SVP of Product at Google" took to his account @ChrisJBakke on Friday, February 23, 2024, to inform that "Sundar (Pichai) asked (him) to fire the entire Gemini team."

The post continued:

"I misread his message (insanely bad service at my 7br 11bath cabin in Park City) and I accidentally fired the entire Gmail team. Gmail…Gemini." He added, "Anyway, I’m rolling with the decision. Gmail’s gone."

Chris Bakke's post (Image via X/ @ChrisJBakke)

He also shared a lengthy screenshot that allegedly indicated that Gmail would be sunsetted on August 1, 2024. However, these claims are fictitious and Gmail is not shutting down. In response to the rumors, the company shared an X post stating, "Gmail is here to stay."

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Gmail is one of Google's largest products with 1.8 billion active users

Last week the tech giant launched its AI-powered chatbot, Gemini 1.5. The latest version included an option to generate images through text prompts. The company stated:

"You can create captivating images in seconds with Gemini Apps."

However, soon users discovered the app did not generate images of white people including historic figures like Popes, vikings, and founding fathers, and even country music fans. Despite trying various permutations of prompts, it yielded images featuring people of color, leading to criticism.

In response, the Gemini Experiences Senior Director of Product Management, Jack Krawczyk, told Fox News Digitial:

"We're working to improve these kinds of depictions immediately. Gemini's AI generation does generate a wide range of people. And that's generally a good thing because people around the world use it. But it's missing a mark here."

In a seperate statement, they announced they would pause the image generation while they update the app.

Chris Bakke's viral post uses the term "sunsetting" which is used by businesses to refer to intentional phasing out or termination of something. To make his post sound authentic, he added a screenshot featuring the company's logo, justifying its closure. It even added that users could access the product till August 2024, until which users would "be able to access and download all (their) emails."

Rumors spread online like wildfire with the hashtags #Google and #Gmail trending on X with 799K and 20.9K posts respectively, at the time publihsing this article.

It is to be noted that Google had announced last year that Google's classic "HTML View" would be discontinued, which made the hoax easier to believe. The company retired its basic HTML View as of January 2, 2024.

As per a Gemini chat by Times Now News, this Classic Gmail version was designed for "slower internet connections and older browsers." Adding that the "majority of users use the standard view."

Chris Bakke himself is known to troll frequently. As per the Business Insider, he once photoshopped an article about McDonald’s Hamburglar to make fun of the New York Times profile of convicted Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes.

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No other statements have been released by Google at the time of writing this article.