'Gemini who?': Rivals dunk on Google's delayed frontier AI
Google is facing criticism from competitors and analysts following delays to its next-generation Gemini 3.5 Pro AI model. While Google continues to release smaller, cost-effective updates, rivals like Meta and OpenAI are using the delay to challenge Google's perceived leadership in the AI sector.
Why it matters
The intense competition in the AI industry is driving rapid innovation, but also creating high-stakes pressure for tech giants to maintain their market dominance.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai is likely to face questions about its delayed frontier AI during earnings. Bloomberg/Getty Images Google's delayed 3.5 Pro model has competitors taking jabs. One analyst said the delay has "shifted perception from leading edge to trailing edge." "Gemini who?" wrote Meta's chief AI officer, Alexandr Wang, on X. In the AI race, the throne is never safe. Just ask Google. After the success of Gemini 3 , Google found itself in a strong position at the end of 2025. As of this week, the situation is a little shakier. While the company just rolled out three faster, more cost-effective models , it continues to delay its next frontier model, Gemini 3.5 Pro , and it's unclear whether this week's launches will be enough to keep users and investors happy in the interim. Some of Google's competitors are using the opportunity to land a few jabs.
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