YouTube crosses $50 billion in revenue, Google Maps now has over 2 billion users

Sundar Pichai, Google and Alphabet’s Chief Executive Officer, revealed that YouTube and Google Maps have made significant contributions to the rise in the company’s revenue. He said YouTube’s revenue exceeded $50 billion for the first time in the last four quarters, while Google Maps now has more than 2 billion users. Pichai said the company’s investments in artificial intelligence have paid off, prompting more users to come on board and access services powered by Gemini AI.

YouTube’s phenomenal rise

“For the first time ever, YouTube’s combined ad and subscription revenue over the past four quarters has surpassed $50 billion,” Pichai said during the earnings call. While Google does not report overall revenues of YouTube, which it acquired in 2006 for $1.65 billion, the new figure, combining both ad sales and revenue from subscriptions, means the video platform is now the company’s fastest-growing service. YouTube has also surpassed its close rival Netflix in revenue, which reported $37.6 billion for the last four quarters.

Pichai said that YouTube TV, NFL Sunday Ticket, and YouTube Music Premium are “driving subscription growth” for YouTube, which recently introduced multiview and a new option for creators, allowing them to organise content into episodes and seasons.

More Google Maps users

During the call, Pichai said Google Maps is the “latest product to surpass the 2 billion user milestone.”  Previously at the I/O, the company said only six products had crossed 2 billion monthly users, namely, Search, Gmail, Android, Chrome, Play Store, and YouTube. Google Maps, as well as the other six platforms, use Gemini models. Pichai noted that while the apps have “done their first versions of incorporating Gemini, and there’s an aggressive roadmap ahead for 2025.”

Other Google updates

Pichai said recent additions to Search, such as AI Overviews, Circle to Search, and new Lens features, are changing how people search for different things. Circle to Search, specifically, is now available on over 150 million Android devices within a year of its debut on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series. Lens is now used for over 20 billion visual searches per month, he said.

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