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Google apparently requesting YouTube clips that trash its design team ahead of Pixel 3 launch

We now know officially that Google is planning an October 9th event in New York City to launch the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. And as it usually does, the company is gathering clips from YouTubers talking about its devices. Apparently, though, some of the clips in question specifically trash the company’s design team.

According to Front Page Tech, Google sent out an email asking for permission to use a specific clip from one of the channel’s videos, and while we don’t know exactly which clip this is, we do know that this channel hasn’t been favorable at all to the various Pixel 3 XL leaks.

FPT further claims in the video linked below (starting at 3:57) that several other “big” channels which posted similarly unfavorable videos about Google’s upcoming phone were also contacted by the company to use clips from their videos as well. Looking at the videos in question, the narrative simply mocks Google’s design of the Pixel 3 XL.

In one case, Google apparently asked to use a clip where the YouTube host in question specifically said that Google should “fire their design team” because Pixel 3 XL looks so terrible.

What could Google be putting together with all of these negative clips? Rather than the “Is there a Pixel Ultra” conspiracies that this YouTuber alludes to, the most likely answer is that Google is putting together a video full of self-deprecating humor.

After all, these montages are nothing new for a Google event – last year’s Pixel 2 launch saw a montage of news outlets, YouTubers, and more talking about the original Pixel and Google Home.

Three generations in, Google’s Pixel lineup has already faced a fair bit of criticism, and it’s going to face a lot more with the Pixel 3 XL, mainly because the vocal fans are complaining about the notch. Normal people generally don’t care about that. In fact, most people don’t even notice that it’s a thing, even when it’s the size it is on the iPhone X. From that aspect, I could totally see Google leaning into the fact that people hate the notch and just putting out a video to perhaps relate to others that see the criticism as silly.

As a side effect, maybe Google knew reaching out to these YouTubers would stir the “Ultra Pixel” conspiracy pot. To be clear, those conspiracies are almost certainly bogus. Regardless, this situation is part of what has been one of the more bizarre product leak cycles and launches we’ve ever seen.

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