Google and Live-Event Ticketing: Entry Decision and First Product to Build

You are interviewing for a product manager role at Google. The interviewer wants a decision on whether Google should enter the ticketing market. If you decide it should, you also need to describe the product Google should build first. That is the whole prompt. Which kinds of tickets, which country and what Google is trying to achieve are left for you to clarify, or to assume out loud. ### Clarifying Questions - Does "ticketing" mean live events (concerts, sports, theater, comedy), or are movies and travel in scope too, given that Google already runs flight and hotel search? - Which market comes first: the US, or a market where ticketing is less consolidated? - Is the goal new direct revenue from ticket sales, or protecting and deepening Search, YouTube and ads engagement around event-intent queries? - Does "get into" leave room for Google to act as a neutral layer that routes buyers to existing sellers, or must Google sell tickets itself? ### Part 1 — Should Google enter, and in what form? Decide whether ticketing is worth entering for Google and, if it is, which entry mode makes sense. Support the decision with a view of the market, the competition, Google's right to win and the risks. ```hint Separate the decision from the mode "Enter" can mean very different businesses for Google, from improving how existing sellers' tickets show up to signing venues as their official seller. Compare those options against Google's strengths and conflicts before you say yes or no. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - How ticketing connects to Google's mission and its core business model, beyond any direct fee revenue - A rough, clearly labeled sizing of the opportunity, set against the size of Google's existing businesses - The competitive structure of ticketing and where Google has, or lacks, a right to win - Entry options compared on explicit criteria, ending in a clear recommendation ### Part 2 — What should Google build first? Assuming your recommendation holds, define the first product: the target users, their problems, the solution you would prioritize, and how you would measure success. ```hint Follow one buyer's journey Trace a fan from the first search for an artist or team to scanning in at the venue, and look for the step where Google's existing surfaces can remove the most friction. ``` #### What This Part Should Cover - A chosen user segment and why it is the right place to start - Prioritized pain points along the purchase journey - A concrete first version tied to Google's surfaces, including what is deliberately left out - A success metric with guardrails for ad cannibalization and buyer trust ### What a Strong Answer Covers - Consistency between the entry mode chosen in Part 1 and the product built in Part 2 - The two-sided nature of ticketing: fans on one side; venues, promoters and ticket sellers on the other - Conflicts with Google's advertisers and partners, and the regulatory exposure of a Google-run product in Search - A phased plan: what launches first, what is earned later, and what evidence would change the plan ### Follow-up Questions - The largest primary ticket seller refuses to share its inventory with Google. Does your plan still work? - Ticket sellers already bid on artist and team queries. How would you keep the product from eroding that ad revenue, and how would you measure it? - What would need to be true after a year for Google to move from routing buyers to selling tickets directly?