Google is shutting down Tables, its Airtable rival

Google has announced the impending closure of Tables, its project management tool that competes with Airtable. In a recent communication to users, the tech giant revealed that the application will cease operations after December 16, 2025. Users are encouraged to export or migrate their data to either Google Sheets or AppSheet based on their specific requirements. Launched in 2020, Tables aimed to enhance project tracking efficiency through automation. It was one of the initiatives birthed from Google's Area 120, an incubator for experimental projects. While several projects from this incubator eventually became integral to Google’s main offerings, Tables was highlighted as a notable success. In 2021, Google transitioned Tables from beta testing to an official product within Google Cloud, envisioning its utility in various sectors such as project management, customer service tracking, and product development. Created by Tim Gleason, a Google veteran, Tables showed promise until the 2022 reorganization of Area 120, which led to the cancellation of numerous projects and a significant reduction in the team's size. Following this restructuring, the focus shifted primarily to artificial intelligence initiatives. Despite surviving these challenges, Tables now faces its own closure timeline. In the notification sent to users, Google outlined two primary options for data transfer. Administrators can either move data to Google Sheets, where they can continue managing their workflows using tables and notifications, or utilize a new migration tool for a smoother transition to AppSheet. This tool ensures that formatting, including column types and relationships, is preserved, allowing users to manage workflows with automation and integrations within Google Workspace. Additionally, Google has pointed users to an FAQ page on Tables’ website, which explains the new data experience designed to facilitate the creation of automated apps and workflows within AppSheet. This new feature, which became available in June 2023, aims to enhance user experience by allowing the building of data models directly within the AppSheet platform.