A casual online exchange between top tech leaders has led to a tangible improvement for Google Calendar users. After Stripe co-founder John Collison suggested a quick way to copy events—mirroring Microsoft Outlook’s convenience—Google CEO Sundar Pichai confirmed the addition of a new duplication shortcut.
On July 5, Collison posted on X (formerly Twitter) requesting a Ctrl-click (or Cmd-click for Mac) option to instantly replicate meetings. Unlike many social media pleas that vanish in the feed, this one reached Pichai directly. Soon after, he announced that the functionality had been added to Google Calendar’s web version.
The new feature lets users hold Ctrl or Cmd while dragging an event in Day, Week, or Month view to create a duplicate instantly. This eliminates the old multi-step process of navigating menus, streamlining recurring meeting setup and reducing scheduling friction.
Benefits include faster planning, fewer clicks, and a smoother workflow—particularly valuable for professionals juggling numerous appointments. However, the feature doesn’t work in Schedule or Year view and is limited to layouts where events can be moved or resized.
The update quickly sparked chatter on X, with Box CEO Aaron Levie humorously suggesting similar influence be applied to traffic woes. Users praised Pichai’s responsiveness, noting his history of engaging directly to solve product issues, from Meet audio glitches to interface improvements.
While modest in scope, this upgrade underscores Google’s willingness to act on user input, turning a small suggestion into a productivity boost for millions.