So this story starts in 2010. That is when Google took their search engine, and other services away from China. This was because of China’s ridiculous censorship laws. But now, there seems to be a change. Will Google come back to China?
However, the rumor mill is in overdrive; Google might bring back a censored version of Google to China. And it might happen by early 2019. If this does happen, then Chinese consumers can expect blocks, and lots of them. This means they won’t get Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. That’s because the Chinese gov’t made them illegal. It also won’t include American or British news media, like The New York Times or BBC. They’re illegal in China, too.
Google doesn’t confirm this. But they don’t deny it, either. But IT support insiders say this mission is so secret that they’re code naming it Dragonfly (gee, where have I heard that name before). So far, only top Google leaders and executives know the details. For years, people speculated Google is trying to get back into China. Play Store is one way, and that’s already gaining momentum. The Chinese consumers clearly want this, but the tough part is convincing the Chinese government.
But Google isn’t giving up soon. In fact, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is in constant meetings with Chinese authorities to make this happen. At least that’s what they say. But why, after years of division, is China and Google trying to work it out? Because they need each other. China has the largest population in the world. Google is the largest IT service entity in the world. China also has the largest economy in the world. Google needs those over one billion potential customers to continue to grow. And China needs this entity to compete with the west on the technology front. Will Google come back to China?