Background: Google Maps launched in 2005 and has steadily added features like Street View, satellite imagery, and aerial photos to become the world's most widely used navigation apps with more than 67% market share.

What happened: Now, Google has rolled out a new AI-powered feature called "Ask Maps," allowing users to ask natural questions about their surroundings... like "where can I charge my dying iPhone" or "find me a nearby public toilet because I'm busting". It will  get answers using Maps data, reviews, photos and even their own search history.  

What else: This launch comes as competition with Apple Maps heats up, with the user gap shrinking in recent years. So by upgrading existing features rather than building a new product from scratch, Google is aiming to retain and scale its Gemini AI tools to a massive audience.    

What's the key learning?

💡Tech companies constantly face a choice: build entirely new products or enhance existing ones. Each approach carries different risks and opportunities.  

💡Building a new product is risky... like when Google built Gemini, its AI chatbot from almost-scratch, which failed during a live launch and caused its share price to drop nearly 8%.

💡Upgrading existing features, like embedding AI into Google Maps, allows companies to scale new technology to a massive audience safely and can help win back users without the risks of a brand-new product.