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A year ago, I did not use Google Docs very much. Yes, I read PRDs created by people I worked with, but it was rare for me to create documents myself when I could quickly spin up a deck in Figma. Oh, what a difference a year makes. I now regularly find myself documenting processes, reviewing proposals, and sharing ideas via Google Docs more than ever before. Such is the life of someone leading a team I guess.

Opening a new, blank Google Doc is a bit intimidating, and there is a lot of blank real estate. This got me thinking… what if by default, Google Docs included banner ads recommending relevant SaaS products and software for your business? This would be a nightmare, especially if the banners were animated.

Putting on my product hat, it’s highly unlikely Google would ever build something like this. They’d either need to be really struggling or not care about alienating/enraging their userbase. It’s an interesting idea, but I don’t see how it ever ships in a way that doesn’t incite a riot.

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