No, Google isn't discontinuing Gmail, but if you're one of the users who fell for fake news, you're not alone.
On Thursday, a false news release was posted on X (formerly Twitter) and quickly spread across social media.
“After years of connecting millions of people around the world, enabling seamless communication, and fostering countless connections, the Gmail journey is coming to an end.” fake document You'll see the Google logo and standard Google Docs format. “The decision to retire Gmail was made with careful consideration of the evolving digital landscape and our commitment to providing high-quality, innovative solutions that meet the needs of our users.”
Related: Google is trying to delete inactive accounts. Here's how to avoid Gmail's high bounce rate.
The post states that Gmail will be shutting down on August 1, 2024, and after that date, you will no longer be able to send, receive, or store email on the Gmail platform.
“After this date, you will no longer be able to access your Gmail account,” the post reads.
Understandably, X users started to panic. According to Forbes, Gmail has a 53% market share in the US, with over 1.8 billion active users sending and receiving an estimated 333 billion emails every day.
I don't know if the news about Gmail is accurate or not, but watch me go crazy. Sit down today and start the process of backing up your entire email account.
— z (@bus_kerdou) February 23, 2024
This is insane, I'll spend my whole life with it #Gmail https://t.co/xjxUg6cnOa pic.twitter.com/XhkOhxyMt0
— Alibek Aliyev (@Itsalibek) February 22, 2024
Okay, okay, that can never happen. Google will discontinue Gmail on his August 1st. You can still access and download your emails until then, but they will no longer be available. Gmail is no longer needed. #RIPGmail ? pic.twitter.com/AwKWN9AnMJ
— XeVier (@XeVierTech) February 22, 2024
Rip Gmail makes me cry because I'm sad???? pic.twitter.com/1ixqqWKzFB
— Nate ? (@pxl0101) February 22, 2024
The original fake post is believed to have come from Chris Bakke, product lead for X at Laskie, which was acquired by Twitter in 2021.
In a post on the platform, Bakke said he was Google's senior vice president of products and that CEO Sundar Pichai had asked him to fire “the entire Google Gemini team.” He satirically joked that he had misheard him as “the entire Google Gmail team.” He created a fake document as part of a joke.
I'm the SVP of Products at Google (TC $28.8M).
Last night, Thunder asked me to fire the entire Gemini team.
I misread his message (the service at my 7 bedroom 11 bath cabin in Park City was really bad) and accidentally fired the entire Gmail team.
Gmail…Gemini.
Look at that… pic.twitter.com/CBCWAhoNCT
— Chris Bakke (@ChrisJBakke) February 22, 2024
“Watch this without your glasses while you're seven margaritas deep at the fire pit on Wednesday and you'll make the same mistake. I mean, you know how confusing it is. ” he joked on stage. “Anyway, I'm undecided. Gmail is being discontinued.”
Bakke's original post has since received more than 2.2 million views.
This vandalism comes after Google announced it would pause the release of its Gemini AI tool due to fundamental inaccuracies found when using text-to-text software to render photos of certain historical figures. It happened after hours.
A community note was posted by X on Bakke's post informing users that the document was actually fake.
Related: Google wants employees back in the office: Report
“This is a satirical post that has gone viral, confusing many people and believing it to be real,” the community note said. “No, Google hasn't announced any changes to Gmail.”
Google also cleared the air in a post on its official account, pointing out that Gmail isn't going anywhere.
Gmail is here to stay.
— Gmail (@gmail) February 22, 2024
