Google merges Maps and Waze teams but says apps will stay separate
As part of recent cost-cutting measures, Google plans to merge its Waze and Maps divisions, reported The Wall Street Journal. The move aims to reduce duplicate product work, but Google said it will keep the Waze and Maps apps separate.
"Google remains deeply committed to Waze's unique brand, beloved app, and thriving community of volunteers and users," a spokesperson told the WSJ. Waze CEO Neha Parikh will step down after a transition period, but there will apparently be no layoffs. From this Friday, the 500-strong Waze team will join Google's Geo organization in charge of Maps, Earth and Street View.
Waze and Maps have shared features since Google acquired Waze for $1.1 billion in 2013. Waze traffic data began appearing in Maps shortly after the acquisition, speed limits, radar locations and other features coming later. In return, Waze benefited from Google's search expertise. The FTC launched an antitrust investigation shortly after the acquisition, and at the time Google said it was keeping Waze as a separate unit "for now."
It's been nine years since, but according to former CEO Noam Bardin, Waze hasn't enjoyed complete independence. “All of our growth at Waze post-acquisition is due to the work we did, not the support of the mothership. Looking back, we probably could have grown faster and much more efficiently had we remained independent,” he said in a LinkedIn post last year.
Waze has 151 million monthly active users, compared to 1 billion for Google Maps services. Still, Waze is a very popular navigation app (especially in Europe), thanks to its participatory nature. Individual users can easily report traffic, police, accidents, map issues, speed cameras and more with just the press of a button. Google Maps added the ability to report driving incidents in 2019, but is less focused on crowdsourcing.
With ad revenue at Google slowing, CEO Sundar Pichai said in September he hoped to make the company 20% more efficient. Some of that, he said, could be achieved through layoffs and merging multiple products.
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As part of recent cost-cutting measures, Google plans to merge its Waze and Maps divisions, reported The Wall Street Journal. The move aims to reduce duplicate product work, but Google said it will keep the Waze and Maps apps separate.
"Google remains deeply committed to Waze's unique brand, beloved app, and thriving community of volunteers and users," a spokesperson told the WSJ. Waze CEO Neha Parikh will step down after a transition period, but there will apparently be no layoffs. From this Friday, the 500-strong Waze team will join Google's Geo organization in charge of Maps, Earth and Street View.
Waze and Maps have shared features since Google acquired Waze for $1.1 billion in 2013. Waze traffic data began appearing in Maps shortly after the acquisition, speed limits, radar locations and other features coming later. In return, Waze benefited from Google's search expertise. The FTC launched an antitrust investigation shortly after the acquisition, and at the time Google said it was keeping Waze as a separate unit "for now."
It's been nine years since, but according to former CEO Noam Bardin, Waze hasn't enjoyed complete independence. “All of our growth at Waze post-acquisition is due to the work we did, not the support of the mothership. Looking back, we probably could have grown faster and much more efficiently had we remained independent,” he said in a LinkedIn post last year.
Waze has 151 million monthly active users, compared to 1 billion for Google Maps services. Still, Waze is a very popular navigation app (especially in Europe), thanks to its participatory nature. Individual users can easily report traffic, police, accidents, map issues, speed cameras and more with just the press of a button. Google Maps added the ability to report driving incidents in 2019, but is less focused on crowdsourcing.
With ad revenue at Google slowing, CEO Sundar Pichai said in September he hoped to make the company 20% more efficient. Some of that, he said, could be achieved through layoffs and merging multiple products.
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you purchase something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices correct at time of publication.
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