X user asks if anyone can beat Google apps ecosystem; Perplexity CEO says “YouTube and Maps maybe impossible but the rest are doable.”

Aravind Srinivas, the CEO of Perplexity, shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) about how difficult it is to compete with some of Google’s products. 

When asked if anyone could beat Google’s app ecosystem, Srinivas replied that while most of Google’s apps can be replaced, YouTube and Google Maps are “maybe even impossible” to beat.

“YouTube and Maps are the hardest. Maybe even impossible. The rest are hard but doable,” Srinivas said in his tweet.

Why YouTube and Google Maps Are So Hard to Compete With

According to Srinivas, YouTube and Google Maps are difficult to beat because they are not just apps but large networks that improve with every user.

YouTube has billions of creators and viewers who upload and watch videos every day. This cycle of content and engagement makes it nearly impossible for a new platform to draw users away. 

Google Maps, on the other hand, has been collecting detailed location data, live traffic updates, and satellite images for decades. Building something that accurate from scratch would take years and massive investment.

When one user commented that “maps & YouTube are not products, they’re networks,” Srinivas replied “Accurate.” His short answer summed up why these two Google products have such a strong hold on users 

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MapmyIndia Responds and Invites Perplexity to Collaborate

After Srinivas’s tweet went viral, MapmyIndia joined the conversation. The company said it has spent more than 30 years building detailed maps of India, down to the house level. 

In its post, MapmyIndia invited Perplexity to collaborate and described itself as a “Swadeshi” alternative to Google Maps.

This exchange showed how Indian tech companies like MapmyIndia are open to partnerships with AI startups rather than trying to compete directly with global giants like Google.

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