Elon Musk hints at Xmail amidst reports of Gmail shutdown: Here’s what Google said

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Friday threatened Google, saying his X (formerly Twitter) platform will soon have an alternative to the Gmail service. When asked on X if he is planning an email service, the billionaire said the service is coming soon. Nate McGrady, a member of X’s Engineering and Security team, had asked when XMail would be launched.

“Coming,” replied Musk, setting the tech industry on fire as Google faced rumoured plans to sunset Gmail via a manipulated image that began circulating on social media platforms.

A follower replied: “Lost trust in Gmail. Time to make the switch to Xmail asap!” Another commented that “I will use my Gmail as how I use my Hotmail now, for junks”.

There was a viral post on X recently that caused concern among netizens. The post claimed that Gmail was going to be shut down. It included a screenshot of an email from Google titled ‘Google is sunsetting Gmail’, which quickly spread across the internet. This caused panic as people feared that Gmail might cease to exist entirely.

“After years of connecting millions worldwide, enabling seamless communication, and fostering countless connections, the journey of Gmail is coming to a close. As of August 1, 2024, Gmail will officially be sunsetted, marking the end of its service,” the message reads.

“This means that as of this date, Gmail will no longer support sending, receiving, or storing emails. The decision to sunset Gmail has been made with careful consideration of the evolving digital landscape and our commitment to providing high-quality, innovative solutions that meet the needs of our users,” it added.

The post generated significant controversy among Gmail users, with over 4 million views of the screenshot. However, some individuals suspected it was a forged document or a hoax.

However, Google on Friday took to social media platform X to announce that Gmail is not going anywhere and “is here to stay”. Google only modified the default Gmail view, which was previously ‘basic HTML’, to a new and more colourful one. This change occurred in January 2024.

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Inputs from IANS