Google wanted to impress some influential people while testing the Pixel 9 with a strict contract: participants in the “Team Pixel” program only receive a test device for the new Pixel 9 smartphone if there are no competing devices in their test. In addition, participants must not give the impression that they prefer a competing product over the Pixel 9.
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he is going out Screenshot from the contract form Several participants in the program have posted online. According to the form, if the influencers do not comply with the stated requirements, Google will terminate the relationship with the content creator. This means: if you do not comply with Google’s rules, you will not receive any more devices.
This agreement applies to members of the so-called “Team Pixel”, which also includes some influencers. Press media such as Heise Online and C’T were not bound by such requirements. In principle, Heise Online does not agree to any agreement that includes content requirements for reporting.
“#TeamPixel is a separate program from our press and manufacturer testing events,” a Google spokeswoman explains. American technology magazine The Verge. Still, the wording went way overboard. “This new wording that appeared on the #TeamPixel form yesterday missed the mark and has been removed.”
Multi-class society on Google
The statement suggests a multi-class society: while the press and some influencers receive devices in advance without any conditions, Google is clearly trying to influence other influencers with strict contracts and color the report positively. Anyone who refuses to do so could lose access to Google devices and potentially put their livelihood at risk.
Yet many influencers have canceled their Team Pixel subscriptions in light of the new route. “The program is no longer compatible with my ethical principles and is not in the best interest of my channel,” the moderator of the YouTube channel TechOdyssey wrote in an X-post.
Pressure on influential people
Influencer programs like Team Pixel are not uncommon in the technology industry. Participants often receive early access to new products, games or updates under certain conditions. There is often open or hidden pressure on them to deliver favorable reports. Anyone who loses the company’s favor can be excluded from news and early access, putting them at a competitive disadvantage compared to other creators.
According to The Verge, the Team Pixel program is not controlled directly by Google, but in collaboration with the marketing agency 1000heads. It aims to win over influencers and fans as brand ambassadors and thus promote Google smartphones. Participants in the program will receive the devices after the press and independent influencers, but before the official market launch.
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