I noticed that Google Mail just announced a new subscription management tool that helps users organize their inbox better. This feature looks really similar to what Proton Mail has been offering for a while now. It seems like Google is taking inspiration from Proton’s approach to email organization. Has anyone else noticed this similarity? I’m curious if this means we’ll see more privacy-focused features from Gmail in the future. The timing feels interesting since Proton Mail has been gaining popularity lately. What do you think about big tech companies adopting features from smaller competitors like this?
totally agree! big companies copy smaller ones all the time - just watch how they jump on trends. gmail def needs fresh ideas, but real priv? still way off since google’s whole biz runs on ad revenue. at least it’s smth in the right direction tho!
This has been happening for years in tech. Microsoft copied Slack features for Teams, Facebook took Stories from Snapchat, and now Gmail’s copying Proton. The subscription management feature makes sense for users, but I wouldn’t read too much into it - Google’s still all about data collection and ads. What’s wild is how smaller companies like Proton have basically become R&D labs for the big guys. They test cool features with smaller audiences, then the giants just scale them up. Real question is whether Google will keep the privacy stuff that made Proton’s version good in the first place.
Google’s move makes total sense - Gmail inboxes are a mess. I’ve used both services and honestly, Gmail should’ve tackled subscription management years ago. The feature isn’t groundbreaking, just catching up to what users need. Google has way more subscription data than Proton, so they’ll probably execute this better at scale. Implementation quality matters more than innovation here. Don’t expect privacy improvements though - that’d clash with their ad model.