S2 E2 Meet the boss: Liz Reid of Google
Economist Podcasts
The Economist
4.3 • 5K Ratings
🗓️ 12 May 2025
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
For Season 2, we’re releasing an extended interview alongside each episode. This week: Who needs search engines when chatbots can answer every query for you? That’s the question confronting the head of Search at the world’s most popular website.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Superdrug offers more than just beauty trends. |
| 0:03.3 | It can be the first stop for your health too. |
| 0:05.7 | Superdrugs pharmacies offer the NHS Pharmacy First service. |
| 0:09.6 | Get fast help for things like UTIs, sore throats and sinusitis with no appointment. |
| 0:14.7 | And if suitable, prescription-only medication on the same day. |
| 0:18.2 | Learn more at superdrug.com slash pharmacy first. Subject to consultation with a |
| 0:22.4 | superdrug pharmacist available in England only. Aid restrictions may apply. This service is NHS funded. |
| 0:27.8 | Prescription charges may apply if treatment is supplied. |
| 0:36.5 | The Economist. |
| 0:39.9 | All right, I'm going to open my laptop and Google with my one-fingered typing. |
| 0:48.3 | How much money does Google make from advertising? |
| 0:56.1 | And what we see is that at the top of the screen, |
| 0:59.1 | we have something being generated called the AI overview. |
| 1:02.9 | And it says, Google generates the majority of its revenue from search advertising. |
| 1:07.3 | In 2024, Google's revenue from search and other advertising was $198.1 billion. |
| 1:13.6 | That's quite a lot of money. |
| 1:16.6 | It's also the reason why its business model is under threat. |
| 1:21.6 | Because if AI can generate an answer to my question, |
| 1:24.6 | and I don't have to click on all those sponsored links. |
| 1:28.1 | How's it going to make money? Why should I go to Google at all? |
| 1:37.9 | When I joined in New York, there were about 10 people in engineering in the office there. |
| 1:42.9 | Liz Reed ought to have an answer to my question. |
... |
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