Google threatened tech influencers unless they ‘preferred’ the Pixel

The tech review world has been full of murky deals between companies and influencers for years, but it appears Google finally crossed a line with the Pixel 9. The company’s invite-only Team Pixel program — which seeds Pixel products to influencers before public availability — stipulated that participating influencers were not allowed to feature Pixel products alongside competitors, and those who showed a preference for competing phones risked being kicked out of the program. For those hoping to break into the world of tech reviews, the new terms meant having to choose between giving up access or keeping their integrity.

The Verge has independently confirmed leaked screenshots of the clause in this year’s Team Pixel agreement for the new Pixel phones, which began circulating on X and Threads last night. The agreement tells influencers they’re “expected to feature the Google Pixel device in place of any competitor mobile devices.” It also notes that “if it appears other brands are being preferred over the Pixel, we will need to cease the relationship between the brand and the creator.” The link to the form appears to have since been shut down.

When asked, Google communications manager Kayla Geier told The Verge that “#TeamPixel is a distinct program, separate from our press and creator reviews programs. The goal of #TeamPixel is to get Pixel devices into the hands of content creators, not press and tech reviewers. We missed the mark with this new language that appeared in the #TeamPixel form yesterday, and it has been removed.”

Those terms certainly caused confusion online, with some assuming such terms apply to all product reviewers. However, that isn’t the case. Google’s official Pixel review program for publications like The Verge require no such stipulations. (And to be clear, The Verge would never accept such terms, in accordance with our ethics policy.)

So then what is Team Pixel, exactly? Officially, it’s a program handled by PR agency 1000Heads that seeds early units to influencers and superfans to drum up interest as brand ambassadors. While Google partners with 1000Heads, it doesn’t directly run the program, and there are distinct differences with the traditional reviews program, For example, journalists and influencers in the official reviews program often get briefed and given products under embargo before or during an event. Team Pixel participants get the devices shortly after launch, but before the public — all in exchange for some coverage on social media. For smaller creators, this can be a big leg up in terms of access.

“I joined the program over five years ago because it was a great way to get a phone, and either relatively early or on time, which in the review world is big,” says creator Adam Matlock, who reviews tech on his TechOdyssey YouTube channel. Matlock says previously there was no obligation, other than to use hashtags #teampixel or #giftfromgoogle to comply with FTC disclosure requirements. Matlock and others saw Team Pixel as a means to grow their channels or a pathway to becoming future reviewers and journalists, but the new Team Pixel terms seem aggressive in a new way that many found uncomfortable — especially since Google’s approach to defining “reviewer” versus “influencer” appears arbitrary.

Popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee posted on X clarifying that he wasn’t part of the Team Pixel program and was not beholden to those terms. Meanwhile, The Verge spoke with other independent reviewers and freelance tech journalists who say that they were grouped into the Team Pixel program for review units in the past. For those in the latter group, the new stipulation is a threat to their integrity and livelihood. Matlock says he’s since quit the Team Pixel program over the new terms.

YouTuber Kevin Nether, who runs The Tech Ninja channel, also says the clause led him to quit the Team Pixel program. “As someone who reviews technology for a living, I work with many brands. To be cornered into using one product — that doesn’t work for me and that’s nothing I want to participate in.”

Nether echoes that he’s never seen this kind of stipulation in previous Team Pixel surveys. Usually, he says, the survey gauges a creator’s interest in various topics, like sports or fashion, to identify areas for collaboration. In the past, he says he’s made it clear to Team Pixel representatives that outside an obligatory post, he will review the device as normal. Nether also says this exclusivity term is atypical. Usually, when brands demand exclusivity from creators or brand ambassadors, they’ll offer payment, have clear disclosure rules, and have limited timelines.

Influencer is a broad term that encompasses all sorts of creators. Many influencers adhere to strict ethical standards, but many do not. The problem is there are no guidelines to follow and limited disclosure to help consumers if what they’re reading or watching was paid for in some way. The FTC is taking some steps to curtail fake and misleading reviews online, but as it stands right now, it can be hard for the average person to spot a genuine review from marketing. The Team Pixel program didn’t create this mess, but it is a sobering reflection of the murky state of online reviews.