Pluralistic: The specific process by which Google enshittified its search (24 Apr 2024)

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The specific process by which Google enshittified its search: Ed Zitron has Prabhakar Raghavan bang to rights.
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Pluralistic: Don't Be Evil (22 Nov 2023)

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Don't Be Evil: My new Locus Column.
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Pluralistic: The enshittification of garage-door openers reveals a vast and deadly rot (09 Nov 2023)

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The enshittification of garage-door openers reveals a vast and deadly rot: Firms undisciplined by competition, regulation, or self-help measures.
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Pluralistic: Podcasting "Microincentives and Enshittification" (24 Oct 2023)

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Podcasting "Microincentives and Enshittification": They’ve run out of lands to conquer and they’re taking it out on you.
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Microincentives and Enshittification

How the Curse of Bigness wrecked Google Search.

A clip from a Jenga ad showing a dad knocking over the Jenga tower.

It’s hard to convey just how revolutionary Google Search was when it debuted in 1998. It blew rivals — from AskJeeves and Altavista to Yahoo — out of the water. It was so good, it was almost spooky, surfacing the best of the web with just a few clicks.

Today, Google owns the search market, controlling more than 90 percent of searches. Its worth hovers in the trillion-dollar range, and it employs some 180,000 people in offices all over the world. Almost every online journey we take starts with a Google search.

And here’s the thing: Google Search suuuuucks.

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