Google won’t explain Siri’s role in its future, claims silence is strategic

Google’s parent company Alphabet remains silent about its latest AI partnership with Apple — even under pressure from investors during that period. 2025 Q4 Financial Results Announcement.

Analysts asked directly about how Alphabet thinks about high-stakes AI partnerships, such as the rumored deal to use Google’s Gemini model to power Siri. The company completely ignored the question. There’s not even a placeholder answer.

In this article, we explore what silence tells us, how the dynamics between Apple and Google are changing in the age of AI, and why marketers need to consider the long-term impact on search, advertising, and audience access.

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What happened on Alphabet’s Q4 earnings call?

above Alphabet’s 2025 Q4 Financial Results Announcementexecutives gave no real insight into Google and Apple’s rumored AI partnership, a deal estimated to be worth US$1 billion annually. Analyst questions about AI partnerships were completely ignored.

This is the only time Sundar Pichai mentioned Apple It came in the form of a vague statement that Google is Apple’s “preferred cloud provider” and will help develop “the next generation Apple foundation model based on Gemini technology.” Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler echoed those same words.

For a partnership that could reshape Siri’s core functionality and transform the dominance of AI interfaces, the lack of comment was strategic, not just a workaround.

Why Google and Apple’s partnership matters in AI

Historically, Apple and Google’s relationship has been defined by search. Google reportedly will pay Apple It costs approximately US$20 billion to maintain the default search engine across Apple devices. This interaction gave Google access to Apple’s vast installed base (currently 2.5 billion active devices worldwide).

However, this new AI deployment does not follow the same strategy. When Google improves Siri’s AI, it does more than just keep you in search. This would deeply embed Gemini into Apple’s voice assistant and user experience, potentially bypassing traditional ad formats.

For Google, it’s both a threat and an experiment. Google’s own Search Generative Experience (SGE) is currently testing ads within AI mode answers, but it’s unclear how scalable or effective they are. The revenue model for AI-first search is still under development.

Rival Anthropic, on the other hand, is taking the ad-driven approach head on. The company’s Super Bowl campaign is expected to position its Claude AI as a more privacy-friendly alternative to ad-supported assistants like Google’s.

What marketers need to know about moving to AI-first search

Alphabet’s silence is not just a corporate stance. This shows that the future of AI search and monetization remains in flux. For marketers and brand strategists, this has several important implications.

• Ad visibility in AI experiences is unproven

Unlike traditional search results, AI responses are often summarized rather than direct. This limits exposure opportunities for link-based advertising and even branded content.

• Owned content may be more important than paid content

As AI assistants like Siri and Gemini summarize answers from across the web, high-quality owned content can be a key driver of discoverability.

• Increasing dependence on platforms

As Gemini becomes deeply integrated into Apple devices, marketers may find themselves dealing with yet another AI gatekeeper, this time mediated by Apple’s UX and Google’s models.

Ultimately, if Google’s Gemini becomes the brain of Siri, brands may need to rethink how their content, commerce, and customer support appear in an AI-native environment.

Alphabet’s refusal to discuss its deal with Apple AI isn’t just a missed PR moment, it’s a calculated move. The company recognizes that this partnership has the potential to redefine not just Siri, but how search, advertising, and AI interact across platforms.

Marketers should keep an eye on how Google integrates Gemini into its third-party ecosystem. Silence from above doesn’t mean nothing is happening, it usually means something big is happening.