The world of tech reviews has been rife with shady deals between companies and influencers for years, but it seems Google finally crossed the line with the Pixel 9. The company’s invitation-only Team Pixel program (which distributes Pixel products to influencers before they’re available to the public) stipulated that participating influencers couldn’t feature Pixel products alongside those of competitors, and those who showed a preference for competing phones risked being kicked out of the program. For those hoping to enter the world of tech reviews, the new terms meant having to choose between giving up access or maintaining their integrity.
The edge has independently confirmed screenshots of the clause in this year’s Team Pixel deal for the new Pixel phones, which several influencers began posting on x and Threads last night. The agreement says that participants “are expected to submit the Google Pixel device in lieu of any competing mobile device.” It also notes that “if it appears that other brands are preferred over the Pixel, we will have to cease the relationship between the brand and the creator.” The link to the form appears to have since been closed.
When asked, Google communications manager Kayla Geier said: The edge that “#TeamPixel is a distinct program, separate from our press and creator review programs. The goal of #TeamPixel is to get Pixel devices into the hands of content creators, not press and tech reviewers. We missed the mark with this new language that appeared in the #TeamPixel form yesterday, and we’ve removed it.”
Those terms certainly caused confusion onlineand some assume that these terms apply to all product reviewers. However, that's not the case. Google's official Pixel review program for publications like The edge does not require such stipulations. (And, to be clear, The edge (We would never accept such terms, according to our ethics policy.)
So what exactly is Team Pixel? Officially, it's a program run by a PR agency. 1000 heads which offers initial units to influencers and superfans to generate buzz as brand ambassadors. While Google partners with 1000heads, it doesn’t directly run the program, and there are clear differences from the traditional review program. For example, journalists and influencers in the official review program are often given embargoed information and products before or during an event. Team Pixel participants receive the devices shortly after the launch, but before the public, all in exchange for some social media coverage. For smaller creators, this can be a huge advantage in terms of access.
“I joined the show over five years ago because it was a great way to get a phone and relatively early or on time, which, in the world of reviews, is important,” says creator Adam Matlock, who reviews technology on his Technological Odyssey YouTube channel. Matlock says there was previously no obligation, beyond using the hashtags #teampixel or #giftfromgoogle to comply with FTC disclosure requirements. Matlock and others saw Team Pixel as a means to grow their channels or a path to becoming future reviewers and journalists, but Team Pixel’s new terms seem aggressive in a new way that many found uncomfortable — especially since Google’s approach to defining “press,” “tech reviewer,” and “content creator” seems arbitrary.
Popular tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee x.com/MKBHD/status/1824445882542027133″>published in x clarifying that he was not part of the Team Pixel program and was not bound by those terms. In the meantime, The edge I spoke to other independent reviewers and freelance tech journalists who say they were once lumped into the Team Pixel program for review units. For those in the latter group, the new stipulation is a threat to their integrity and livelihood. Matlock says he has since left the Team Pixel program because of the new terms.
YouTuber Kevin Nether, who runs The technological ninja The channel also says the clause led him to leave the Team Pixel show. “As someone who makes a living reviewing technology, I work with a lot of brands. Being forced to use just one product doesn’t suit me and is not something I want to be involved in.”
Nether says she’s never seen this kind of stipulation in previous Team Pixel surveys. Typically, she says, the survey measures a creator’s interest in various topics, like sports or fashion, to identify areas for collaboration. In the past, she says she’s made it clear to Team Pixel representatives that outside of a mandatory post, she’d review the device as normal. Nether also says this exclusivity term is atypical. Typically, when brands require exclusivity from creators or brand ambassadors, they’ll offer payment, have clear disclosure rules, and limited timelines.
Influencer is a broad term that encompasses all kinds of creators. Many influencers adhere to strict ethical standards, but many others don’t. The problem is that there are no guidelines to follow and limited disclosure of information to help consumers if what they’re reading or watching was paid for in some way. The FTC is taking some steps to cut down on fake and misleading reviews online, but as things stand now, it can be difficult for the average person to distinguish a genuine review from a marketing one. The Team Pixel program didn’t create this mess, but it’s a sobering reflection of the murky state of online reviews.
