Google takes swipe at cryptocurrency in Pixel 3 advert

Google’s advert for Google
Assistant.
Made by
Google/YouTube

• Google made a joke at cryptocurrency’s expense during
  an advert for its new Pixel 3 phone.
• The ad points out how much energy is used to mine
  cryptocurrency, and one actor says that online currencies are
  “not real” money.
• Google recently ended its ban on cryptocurrency
  adverts.

Google took a shot at crypto during an advert for its new phone,
the Pixel 3.

The advert showcases a feature which allows Google Assistant to screen calls
and tell you why someone’s calling. If it’s a telemarketer,
the call can be instantly marked as spam.

During the ad, one of the actors tells the other that his
electricity bill is very high that month. “Well cryptocurrency
mining takes a lot of energy,” he explains. “Cryptocurrency, that
money’s not real,” she replies.

“Yeah, well I got news for you — money isn’t real,” he rebuts.
“You gonna live that lie?” she responds.

You can watch the advert in full here:

It is true that mining cryptocurrency is notoriously energy
inefficient. In August, Futurism reported that the amount of
energy used to world’s Bitcoin network is
equivalent to the total energy consumption of Ireland.

But Google’s crypto swipe is unlikely to go down well with crypto
bulls, who have already criticised the company for banning
crypto ads in June. Google did, however, reverse this
decision
last month.