I don't know if that really excuses Google in this case because it's a productization problem. Google never tried to release a ChatGPT competitor until after OpenAI had. OpenAI has been wildly successful as the first mover, despite having to blaze some new product trails. Even after months of watching them and with near-infinite resources, Google is still struggling to catch up.

Outside of outliers like gmail, Google didn’t get their success with product. The organization is set up for engineering to carry the day, funded by search.

An AI product that makes search irrelevant is an existential threat, but I don’t think Google has the product DNA to pull off a replacement product for search themselves. I heard Google has been taken over by more business / management types, but it is still missing product as a core pillar.

Considerng the number of messaging apps they tried to launch, if there's at least one thing that can be concluded, it's that it isn't easier to learn from their own mistakes.