Alphabet's (GOOG -1.10%) (GOOGL -1.23%) Google G Suite of productivity software is now used by more than 2 billion people around the globe. Google reached that milestone at the end of 2019.
Javier Soltero, VP and GM at G Suite, disclosed the number to Axios during a recent interview. The executive declined to breakdown the usage by product or say how many paid subscribers it has. At the end of 2018, the latest figures available, G Suite had 5 million paid subscribers.
Image source: Google.
Google's G Suite includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Hangouts, and Google Drive, among other apps. Most of the apps are free, but Google charges for some, including Hangouts, its video-conferencing and business-collaboration platform.
G Suite competes with Microsoft's productivity suite of software, as well as the slew of start-ups gunning for their business. "That's a staggering number ... these products have incredible reach. Changing the way people work is something we are uniquely positioned to do," said Soltero in the Axios interview.
That may be put to the test in a bigger way, thanks to the novel coronavirus that's rapidly spreading across the globe. With companies mandating employees work from home, schools shutting their doors, and large events canceled, people are turning to digital methods to communicate. That's providing a lift to Google, Microsoft, and video-conferencing company Zoom. Google said last week it's offering free access to Hangouts, all its G Suite, and G Suite for Education apps during the outbreak.
To grow G Suite beyond the 2 billion mark, Soltero told Axios that Google is focused on melding the different G Suite software into one app.
