diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 4f5a9dda7eec..2b79db1d235c 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -7,9 +7,6 @@
 [submodule "c-deps/protobuf"]
 	path = c-deps/protobuf
 	url = https://github.com/cockroachdb/protobuf.git
-[submodule "c-deps/googletest"]
-	path = c-deps/googletest
-	url = https://github.com/cockroachdb/googletest
 [submodule "pkg/ui/yarn-vendor"]
 	path = pkg/ui/yarn-vendor
 	url = https://github.com/cockroachdb/yarn-vendored
diff --git a/c-deps/googletest b/c-deps/googletest
deleted file mode 160000
index 59202300f1a7..000000000000
--- a/c-deps/googletest
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 59202300f1a774068608caff0351cc084fe79e7c