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Forgeties79 • today at 2:16 PM • 2 replies • view on HN

We know exactly why google went to shit years ago. It's not a perception/"people used to be more techie" issue.

https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-men-who-killed-google/


Replies

strbean • today at 9:19 PM

Super interesting read, thanks!

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mrguyorama • today at 6:40 PM

But that's so dumb. Google search didn't die in 2019.

The PageRank algorithm, and importantly, any algorithm which depends on page content and pages linking to each other and referencing each other was DoA, because it only worked in an adversary free context! The very second there was a real incentive to be at the top of Google's search results, their algorithms were going to be attacked and manipulated.

That makes "search" a neverending arms race. The very thing that launched Google as some amazing thing was doomed from the start. They've been laying hacks on top of hacks on top of hacks ever since. It's been shit basically since SEO has existed, which is what the "adversary" is.

Another good point for when google "died" was when they bought doubleclick. They were an ad company from that point on. There was never a good outcome possible after that. If ads were something that benefited you the user, you would have to pay for them.

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