Google might actually be overvalued, not undervalued.
While everyone’s focused on AI integration and cloud growth, I think the market is overlooking some serious structural headwinds:
Search is peaking. We’re seeing the early stages of search unbundling - ChatGPT, Perplexity, and specialized AI tools are starting to replace traditional search for specific queries. Young users increasingly go straight to TikTok or Reddit for information. Google’s moat isn’t as unbreachable as people think.
The AI arms race is a margin killer. Yes, Google has technical AI capabilities, but they’re being forced into a costly infrastructure race with OpenAI, Microsoft, and others. Every dollar spent on compute for AI is a dollar that used to drop straight to the bottom line from search ads. The old Google model was beautiful - minimal marginal costs. The new AI-integrated model is capital intensive.
Regulatory pressure is real and underpriced. The DOJ antitrust case isn’t going away, and there’s bipartisan appetite for reining in Big Tech. A forced breakup or significant business model restrictions could happen within 2-3 years.
Cloud growth is nice, but Amazon and Microsoft have structural advantages in enterprise relationships and hybrid solutions that Google struggles to match.
At $185, you’re paying for perfection in a world where Google’s core business model is facing its first real existential challenge in 20 years. I’d rather wait for sub-$150 or look elsewhere entirely.
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