# Google’s ‘Severance’ Easter Egg: A Playful Reference to a Dystopian Reality
Google has opted for a bit of *Severance*-themed enjoyment leading up to the Season 2 finale of the popular [Apple TV+](https://tv.apple.com/channel/tvs.sbd.4000?itsct=bgrmedia_tv&itscg=30200&at=10lNUC) series.
When you input “Severance” into Google Search, you’ll spot a small party horn icon on the results page. Clicking on it fills your display with blue balloons—an unmistakable nod to the disconcerting corporate celebrations depicted in the beloved Apple TV+ show.
It’s a witty detail for *Severance* enthusiasts, a series that imagines a reality where workers at Lumon Industries undergo a process that disconnects their professional and personal memories. Their “innie” personas labor diligently at their jobs, oblivious to their external lives, while their “outie” identities remain blissfully ignorant of the happenings inside. The balloons evoke the unsettling “Music Dance Experience,” a moment of manufactured happiness for Lumon employees who have little else to commemorate.
## The Ironic Link Between Google and *Severance*
Yet, let’s face it—if any actual corporation were racing toward creating a *Severance*-like dystopia, it would likely be Google.
There’s notable irony in the fact that Google, a firm frequently scrutinized for its data harvesting and corporate authority, is celebrating a television series about a corporate nightmare. Google accumulates vast amounts of user information, tracking everything from sleep patterns to shopping behaviors. The tech powerhouse holds a [monopoly](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2kxpn2k08do) in the Internet search sector and is currently employing [AI-generated summaries](https://bgr.com/business/google-spent-billions-building-ai-just-to-make-search-dumber-than-ever/) to transform digital publishing, keeping users confined within its ecosystem to enhance advertising profits.
Google also has a track record of enigmatic and contentious corporate projects. From the misguided Google Glass to Project Dragonfly (a proposed censored search engine for China), the company has dabbled in the sort of dystopian concepts that render *Severance* hauntingly believable.
## A Innocuous Easter Egg—or a Peek into the Future?
The *Severance* Easter egg is, naturally, harmless amusement. It’s a well-crafted homage to a series that has engaged viewers with its gradual mystery and existential dread. However, it also acts as a reminder of the significant influence tech giants like Google already wield over our digital existences.
Give it some time, and who knows? Perhaps Google will launch its own version of Lumon’s “Perpetuity Wing” as a perk for employees.
