Google One, the subscription-based service from Alphabet Inc., has reached a major milestone—surpassing 150 million subscribers, the company revealed to Reuters. This marks a 50% surge in growth since February 2024, when the platform celebrated crossing the 100 million mark.

Originally launched to offer expanded cloud storage, Google One has evolved into a broader consumer offering, now featuring premium artificial intelligence tools. The introduction of its $19.99/month AI-powered plan earlier this year has significantly boosted subscriptions. According to Shimrit Ben-Yair, Vice President at Google, this AI-focused tier has contributed “millions” of new sign-ups alone.

Despite maintaining its traditional storage plans at lower price points, Google has strategically positioned its AI features as a premium upgrade, tapping into the growing demand for advanced productivity tools powered by artificial intelligence.

A Strategic Shift Beyond Ads

This subscription growth is part of Alphabet’s wider strategy to reduce its dependency on advertising—a revenue stream that made up over 75% of the company’s massive $350 billion revenue in 2024. With the rise of generative AI tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s own Gemini, Alphabet is also racing to redefine its dominance in digital search, which has faced recent setbacks.

In fact, AI’s impact on search behavior has already started to show. During a court hearing, an Apple executive confirmed a drop in search volumes on Safari for the first time, due to users increasingly turning to AI interfaces for answers. That revelation cost Alphabet a staggering $150 billion in market value in a single day.

Can AI and Ads Coexist?

Unlike traditional search engines, AI chatbots haven’t yet found a native way to serve ads, raising questions about future monetization. Many tech companies, including Google, are now leaning into subscription-based models to generate consistent revenue.

CEO Sundar Pichai addressed this evolving model during a February earnings call, saying, “Just like you’ve seen with YouTube, we’ll give people options over time. For this year, I think you’ll see us be focused on the subscription direction.”

As the subscription economy grows and AI tools become integral to digital life, Google One’s success signals that consumers are willing to pay for intelligent, premium services—marking a pivotal shift in how tech giants plan to sustain growth in an AI-driven future.