Google has chosen to send a response to my article to Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable. Here is my response.
(1) On the March 2019 core update claim in the piece: This is baseless speculation. The March 2019 core update was designed to improve the quality of our search
A conspiratorial, passive-aggressive fool in the YC comments is not making any claims, just saying that this might be a protection racket.
Mildly interesting that the author runs a media relations company in SF.
On the one hand, I am sympathetic to the general perspective of the original article.
On the other hand, that the same person is writing “hit pieces” and running a media relations company bears a certain resemblance to protection rackets of yore
Awfully suspicious that a journalist might actually want to make money once in awhile. Why, all the journalists I know love being destitute all the time, otherwise they wouldn't be in the business (or lack thereof)!
If this chapter of tech drama were a video game, specifically a visual novel, and more specifically phoenix wright, this would be the part of the last trial where Google has smugly deigned to testify in person, confident they can easily deflect whatever comes at them during cross examination