Yeah just giving you the information/solution doesn't pay the bills. It's why supermarkets frequently change the layout of their aisles.

Never give the customers what they want give them what makes you money.

It is weird that they're putting all their eggs in one basket though. Wouldn't a more sensible business move be to launch that platform (and advertise it heavily) but maintain the old search UX to fend off competition?

Going all in like this carries a very real risk of burning users onto other platforms and the continued evolution of integrated search bars are already slicing off significant user segments.