The Team Behind Google Maps and Waze Are Combining Together

As part of its internal restructure, the team behind Google Maps and Waze will be combining. Is this the sign of big things to come?

Could Google Maps and Waze Be Coming As Well?

Google is undergoing internal restructuring to bring the teams developing Waze and Google Maps together, although the apps will still remain separate. The move comes as a result of the overlap in functions and features between the two services. This follows recent mergers within Google, such as the combination of Google Meet, Duo, and Hangouts with Google Chat.

For those of you who aren’t aware, Google purchased Waze back in 2013. The app offers detailed traffic data and regularly updates its in-app features to keep users interested, resulting in over 151 millions users every month. Maps is Google’s flagship navigation app and the Wall Street Journal has reported that the company is combining the teams behind the two apps to reduce costs and optimize the overlapping work on both services.

The move to combine the teams behind Waze and Google Maps is part of Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s goal to make the company 20% more productive, which includes budget cuts and internal restructuring. Google has already announced a hiring slowdown that will last until the end of 2022, and the decision to combine the teams behind the two apps suggests that new staff will not be hired in large numbers in the near future.

Google’s restructuring has raised concerns about job security for the Waze team, but the company has stated that the restructuring will not require any layoffs. However, Waze CEO Neha Parikh will step down from her role following the transition. Google has assured that it remains committed to the Waze brand, its users, and community of volunteers.

Google Maps recently borrowed some features from Waze and it is likely that both services will achieve greater feature parity and interoperability in the future. Since customers in some markets prefer Waze to Maps, it is unlikely that Google will dissolve either app. However, Google has a history of discontinuing successful services, so it is possible that one of the two maps apps could be killed off eventually.

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Pokdepinion: If I had to pick between the two, I’d stick to Waze since it works the best for me now. However, there was a time when it worked terribly since the map didn’t load. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen again anytime soon.