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No users = no clicks = no Google. Their incentive is to strike a balance between profiting off users and driving all the users away. I'm not commenting on whether they're getting it right.


The issue is them getting it right is finding a balance point which is maximizing their profits at the expense of the general public. They are willing to make a Web Browser and Android to limit how much people can avoid being tracked etc.


How is it at the expense of the public?

We get a free search engine, map, office suite, email, the best browser, and video platform.

And while some here will say it’s enshittified beyond hope, it’s just not. Their products are great, I use them every day, and every now and then I click on an ad for something I like.


> How is it at the expense of the public?

"According to the 160-page report, the employees found evidence that Mountain View was demoting its competitors and placing its own services on top of search results lists, even if they weren't as helpful." https://www.engadget.com/2015-03-20-ftc-report-google-search...

Then there's search results which are mostly ads and sponsored listings, not actual search results, and that's deliberate: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-men-who-killed-google/

And search results from content farms are prioritized at the expense of actual results: https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/02/google-promotes-sketchy-pr...

Ands a decade of AMP hurt the web, and publishers, and sites, and... https://wptavern.com/amp-has-irreparably-damaged-publishers-...


If you clicked on an ad ever you're a different sort.




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