Big Tech’s Core Products Are Losing Steam — and Even Their Creators Know It
Friend requests on Facebook are drying up. The iPhone may no longer be essential in a decade. And search traffic on Google is slipping — at least on some of the most popular smartphones.
These revealing admissions came from two ongoing antitrust trials targeting Meta and Google. For once, top executives from Silicon Valley’s biggest companies acknowledged a hard truth: the flagship innovations that once defined their success might be losing relevance.
For a region that thrives on disruption and reinvention, that’s not entirely surprising. In Silicon Valley, chasing the next transformative idea is the norm — and staying relevant is an unrelenting race.
But these court statements spotlight the intensifying pressure tech giants face. AI breakthroughs and new social media platforms are rapidly reshaping user behavior, forcing legacy players to keep up or risk obsolescence.
Apple declined CNN’s request for comment. Google pointed to its existing public statements, while Meta referred to specific courtroom remarks made by CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
Over the past 20 years, Apple, Google, and Meta have been at the forefront of the digital revolution.
Google changed the internet game with its algorithm-driven search engine. Meta (then Facebook) turned social networking into a habit-forming stream of likes, shares, and comments. And Apple transformed how we interact with all of it through the iPhone — a device that put the internet in our pockets.
These products fueled unprecedented growth, propelling the companies to trillion-dollar valuations. But in court, their own leaders admitted: users are losing interest in some of the very things these platforms were designed to do.
Last week, Apple’s Eddy Cue testified in Google’s antitrust case that Google search usage on iPhones actually dipped last month — a first, according to Bloomberg. Given that Google pays billions to remain the default search engine on Apple’s Safari browser, this is a notable shift.
The drop hints at a broader trend: people are turning to AI chatbots instead of traditional search engines. Gartner predicts search traffic could decline by 25% by 2026 as more users rely on AI tools.
Google responded by saying it continues to see growth in overall search volume — including on Apple devices.
Meta is navigating its own evolution. Zuckerberg acknowledged during an April trial that Facebook users are sharing less with friends and adding fewer new ones. Instead, they’re increasingly using direct messaging. “I think that’s been declining,” he said, referencing friend additions. “But I don’t know the exact numbers.”
The shift mirrors broader changes in social media. A 2023 Pew survey revealed just 32% of teens use Facebook, compared to 71% in 2014–2015. Younger audiences are flocking to platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat.
To keep pace, Meta has retooled its apps — rolling out Instagram Stories after failing to acquire Snapchat, and launching Reels to rival TikTok. Zuckerberg noted that video content now dominates user engagement on Facebook.
Even the iPhone — Apple’s most iconic product — might eventually lose its central role.
“As crazy as it sounds, you may not need an iPhone 10 years from now,” Cue said in court.
Despite being the second most shipped smartphone globally in early 2025 (per IDC), Apple is already looking beyond phones — toward wearable tech. Its Vision Pro headset, priced at $3,500, could be a stepping stone toward the smart glasses future being explored by Meta, Google, and Samsung.
Zuckerberg envisions a world where users engage with content through glasses and holograms, rather than tapping on screens. Amazon may not be far behind either — hinting at Alexa-powered eyewear in a recent interview.
At the same time, phone upgrades have slowed. With each new model offering fewer groundbreaking changes, consumers aren’t rushing to buy the latest devices as they once did.
For now, people will keep using Instagram and Googling on their phones. But change is coming — and for tech titans, that’s both a challenge and an opportunity. It lets them pitch their adaptability to investors and argue to regulators that competition is alive and well.
What’s different today is that the industry giants who once defined the digital era now have to work harder than ever to stay relevant.
