# Google faces internal doubts over Gemini 4 coding performance ahead of launch

Digest AI · Generative AI & Models · published 2026-09-30T04:00:00Z

Canonical: https://digestai.news/story/google-faces-internal-doubts-over-gemini-4-coding-performance-ahead-of

## Summary

Google is preparing to release Gemini 4 but confronts skepticism from some employees about its coding capabilities. According to people familiar with the project, the model performs well on industry benchmarks but struggles with real-world coding tasks. The company initially planned to launch Gemini 3.5 Pro in June but scrapped those plans, these sources say.

Google disputes the claims, citing Koray Kavukcuoglu, head of Google DeepMind, who called the model’s performance ‘encouraging’ at a recent conference. Internal opinions vary: some employees believe Anthropic’s Fable and OpenAI’s Astra models are advancing faster, while others insist Gemini 4 is competitive. The stakes are high—Gemini powers billions of users across Search, Maps, Gmail, and Chrome. If it underperforms, rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic could gain ground in search and software ecosystems.

## Key points

- Google scrapped Gemini 3.5 Pro launch in June due to internal concerns, sources say
- Employees report Gemini 4 struggles with real-world coding tasks despite benchmark success
- Kavukcuoglu calls model ‘encouraging’ but internal consensus on frontier status is divided

## Why it matters

A misstep in Gemini 4 could accelerate migration of developers and users to OpenAI or Anthropic’s platforms, threatening Google’s dominance in AI-powered search and productivity tools.

## Sources

1. [Google Grapples With Employee Skepticism About New Gemini Model](https://finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/google-grapples-employee-skepticism-gemini-195242680.html) (finance.yahoo.com, 2026-09-30)

Part of the developing story: [Google Unveils Gemini 4 Argon Frontier Model](https://digestai.news/thread/google-announces-gemini-4-argon-frontier-model) (3 stories)

## Cite

Digest AI, "Google faces internal doubts over Gemini 4 coding performance ahead of launch", 30 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/google-faces-internal-doubts-over-gemini-4-coding-performance-ahead-of

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