Google says Sundar didn’t actually entertain the idea of splitting off AI from search.

On Google’s Q3 earnings call, Wells Fargo analyst Ken Gawrelski asked:

Why doesn’t it make sense to have two completely different search experiences? One, an agent-like answers engine and then, two, a links-based more traditional search engine? You could innovate on both and let the consumer decide.

Sundar replied: “I do think having two surfaces for us allows us to experiment more.”

But Google rep Chris Pappas tells us he’s referring to two different AI surfaces — AI Overviews and the Gemini App — not good ol’ link-based search.