About Me:
Why I Started This Journey
How does someone go from “Google-all-the-things” to “degoogle your life”?
Up until the start of this year (2025), I was all-in on Google. Gmail, Google Photos, Fitbit, YouTube – you name it, I used it. Early on, I was fascinated by the Google story: Two guys working in their garage managed to build a multi-billion dollar company seemingly overnight. Its early products were fun and cool; the brand had a kind of happy, underdog vibe. I switched from Hotmail to Gmail, started googling my search queries and loved those quirky Android dessert names.
A Slow Break-up
Over time, however, my enthusiasm for Google began to wane. As it morphed from being a fun underdog into a dominant global corporation, the narrative surrounding the company changed along with it.
Edward Snowden’s bombshell revelations in 2013 were a wake-up call on data privacy – implicating Google and the rest of Big Tech. That was the first real crack in my relationship with these companies, but it took many more years and many more headlines to push me over the line.
From Big Tech’s willingness to work with oppressive governments (like China) and their insatiable appetite for user data to their monopoly-like dominance of certain markets and incredible influence over the flow of information, the cracks continued to widen.
The fact that all these companies were based in the United States never really bothered me until the most recent elections there. After years of positioning themselves as champions of certain values (regardless of whether you shared them or not), they suddenly pivoted when the political winds changed. Policies that were supposedly based on principles turned out to be remarkably flexible when power shifted hands. I realized that these weren’t neutral platforms – they were tools that could be weaponized.
Echoes of Another Crisis
The moment this realization hit me, things began to move much quicker. I started looking into alternatives to Google and the rest of Big Tech. As I did, I began to realize the extent of the problem. From the iPads in my kids’ classrooms, to Microsoft Office and LinkedIn at work or keeping in touch with friends and family (WhatsApp, Facebook) – our personal and professional lives were deeply intertwined with Big Tech. But the problem went even deeper. It wasn’t just my data or your data that was at stake, but the digital infrastructures of entire nations were dependent on a handful of American corporations.
This dependency instantly reminded me of the 2008 financial crisis. Back then, we discovered that a handful of massive banks and businesses had become so interconnected with the global economy that their failure would bring everything down with them. The phrase “too big to fail” wasn’t just about their size – it was about our reliance on them. We’d built a system where alternatives didn’t really exist.
Now I was seeing the same pattern in tech. What happens if Google’s servers go down for a week? What if Apple decides to cut off an entire country from the App Store? What if Microsoft stops supporting the software that runs our businesses, hospitals and schools? We’ve built a world where a few companies hold all the power. But unlike 2008, money alone won’t solve this problem. There needs to be a radical shift in our thinking.
I knew I couldn’t just sit idly by and wait for the courts, a new election or political reforms to solve the problem. In fact, I was doubtful these things even could solve the problem. I needed to take action – if only for my own conscience’s sake. As the phrase goes: Be the change you want to see.
Some Perspective
Now, that might sound somewhat alarmist, but I want to be clear: I’m not anti-technology. I don’t want us going back to the Stone Age and I am not looking to create a tin-foil-hat army.
I remember the pre-Google days of searching for things on the web (it was very hit-or-miss). I remember what it sounded like connecting to the internet through a 56k modem. I remember floppy disks, monochrome monitors that took up half of your desk, mice with track balls and cables to connect them to the computer. I guess what I’m saying is: I’ve been around a while?
As fondly as I remember these things, I’m glad technology has continued to develop: I appreciate lightning fast internet, HD screens with razor thin bezels and wireless connections. I enjoy being able to instantly find answers to questions. I love being able to interact and connect with people all over the world from the comfort of my home. I am grateful to live in this Digital Age, despite its drawbacks and dangers.
Similarly, I’m not overly concerned about what Google or some government knows about me personally – but I am deeply concerned about where this trend is heading. As an American, I grew up with the idea that checks and balances are a good thing; that power should not be centralized around one person or institution, but spread out to hinder corruption and abuses of power.
I want those checks and balances to return. I want to support companies that share my values and foster healthy competition. I want to lose that cloud of negativity that has hung over my interactions with Big Tech and enjoy using technology again.
Stay in the Loop
Get updates on new guides, tools, and tips to help you degoogle your life.
Going Down the Rabbit Hole
So I decided to take action. As someone who is fairly tech-savvy and used to finding solutions on-the-fly (I work as a translator – you have to think on your toes a lot as a translator), I thought I’d have this figured out in a few weeks. I was confident that I could make a quick transition to … small tech (is that the opposite of Big Tech?).
I was wrong.
Like I mentioned at the outset, I had been all-in on Google. This was made abundantly clear when I tried to download all of my Google data. It was over 390 gigabytes! Granted, the bulk of that was photos and videos, but still! It took days to download it all. Getting myself out of this Big Tech web was going to take some serious work.
One of the first problems I ran into was deciding what to focus on. Should I nuke everything and start over? Probably not. I needed my PC for work and didn’t know of any software that could replace certain apps. I also didn’t want to lose my contacts, emails, pictures and dozens of other things that were in some way connected to the greater Big Tech world. So I did what anybody would do: I googled it.
Baby Steps
The results were mixed: There was helpful advice, yes, but getting to it meant sifting through plenty of opinions masquerading as facts, outdated information and marketing fluff. With each new topic, I had to more or less start my search over again. After a few days of restless planning and research, I finally decided on my first move: Put Linux on my laptop.
I’ve been a Windows user forever, but I had tried Linux previously for a short time in college. What I thought would take a couple of hours turned into a multi-day experiment. It wasn’t so much that the process was complicated, it was a lack of know-how at crucial moments. Either I couldn’t find the answer I needed or I skimmed too quickly and missed something important. Eventually though I got it up and running. My first degoogle task was accomplished. It would get easier now, right?
The next steps were similarly slow. A lot of trial and error. A lot of late night reading and research. But eventually I started to settle in to this new mode of life. I put Graphene OS on my phone (surprisingly easy), switched my email account (also pretty easy, just with lots of follow-up tasks) and started testing various apps to see what could replace their Big Tech brethren. The path was beginning to take shape – and I was enjoying my tech again.
Still On The Journey
Here’s the truth: I’m still on the journey. I’m not writing from the mountaintop as someone who’s achieved perfect digital independence. Not every switch has been smooth and I’m still looking for adequate replacements to certain apps and services. No, I’m writing from the trail – sharing what I’ve learned while still climbing.
This ongoing experience has changed my relationship to tech. I’ve become more aware of what I am using, why I am using it and what potential compromises might be involved. The difficulty of this process has also made me constantly revisit the “why” behind taking this route. “Is it really worth the effort?” is a question I’ve asked myself at least a hundred times since starting the journey.
It has taken time for me to fully commit to this endeavor. I’ve had to wrestle with nagging doubts and moments of discouragement. I’ve had to come to peace with the idea that “perfect is the enemy of the good” in this context. Reaching full Big Tech autonomy is a long, hard road – and it’s possible I’ll never reach that goal. But I am convinced that this is a journey worth taking.
The Guide I Wish I’d Had
When I started telling people about my degoogling project, I noticed two things: First, nearly everyone showed interest. People could relate to the idea that Big Tech was getting too big to be healthy. But the second thing was less encouraging: I struggled to give any concrete practical advice in these conversations.
Should I tell them to go to Reddit? To Google it? Where should I point them if they want to know more? I realized many people needed a guide – someone who could walk them through the journey in plain English so that the non-techies of the world could also follow along.
That led to the birth of this website. I want to help people achieve their degoogling goals. I want to spare you the work of searching for reliable, understandable information that gets you where you want to go. Whether you’re looking to reduce your dependence on Big Tech or simply curious about alternatives, this site is for you.
You can expect regular articles, how-tos and guides to help you move your digital life into new ecosystems at your own pace. I hope you find them helpful!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to use the contact options at the bottom of this page; I’d love to hear from you. Happy degoogling!
— John