Killed by Google: Digital Graveyard of Discontinued Products

The Digital Graveyard: Inside Killed by Google

Killed by Google (killedbygoogle.com) is an open-source memorial tracking over 290 discontinued Google products, services, and devices. Created by developer Cody Ogden in 2018, the project serves as both a tribute to beloved services and a stark reminder of Google's tendency to discontinue products.

What Makes This Project Unique

The website functions as a comprehensive database documenting every Google product shutdown, including launch dates, discontinuation dates, product lifespans, and detailed descriptions. With over 2,600 stars on GitHub and contributions from 209 developers worldwide, it has become the definitive resource for tracking Google's product lifecycle patterns. The average lifespan of a Google product is just 4 years and 1 month, revealing a pattern that has made users increasingly hesitant to invest in new Google services.

Notable Casualties

The graveyard includes high-profile failures like Google Reader (killed in 2013 after 7 years despite 129 million users), Google+ (discontinued in 2019), and Google Stadia (shut down in 2023 after only 3 years). Recent additions include Google Jamboard (killed in 2024), Google Podcasts (replaced by YouTube Music in 2024), and Chromecast (discontinued after 11 years in 2024). Some products had remarkably short lifespans, with Google Spaces and Google Hands Free both lasting less than one year.

Impact on User Trust

The extensive list of discontinued products has created significant trust issues among consumers and developers. According to analysis, Google has killed 51.5% of all products it has ever developed, spanning categories from communication apps (Google Talk, Hangouts) to hardware (Nexus devices, Google Glass Explorer Edition) to enterprise tools (Google Hire, Cloud IoT Core). This pattern has led to the "Killed by Google" phenomenon becoming a cautionary tale in tech circles, with users now reluctant to adopt new Google services for fear of future discontinuation.

Community and Open Source

The project maintains an MIT license and accepts community contributions through a structured process requiring product names, launch/discontinuation dates, descriptions, and reliable source links. Contributors can add products via GitHub pull requests or by submitting issues, with automated testing ensuring data quality. The website categorizes products as apps, services, or hardware, creating an easily searchable archive of Google's innovation experiments and strategic pivots over two decades.

Web : https://killedbygoogle.com