Google’s entire business model depends on you not finding what you want on the first try. Let that sink in.
Every year, Google generates over $200 billion in revenue. The vast majority comes from ads displayed on search results pages. Think about the perverse incentive this creates.
The Attention Arbitrage Game
Here’s how it works:
- You search for something
- Google shows you ads before organic results
- You click an ad or scroll past ads to find real content
- If you don’t find what you need, you search again
- More searches = more ad impressions = more money
The system is designed to keep you searching, not to give you immediate answers. When Google introduced “Featured Snippets” and direct answers, advertisers panicked because fewer clicks meant less revenue.
The AI Search Paradox
ChatGPT and other AI assistants have shown us a glimpse of the post-search future. Ask a question, get an answer. No links, no ads, no algorithmic manipulation. Just information.
But here’s the problem: AI companies are now trying to monetize the same way Google does. They’re injecting sponsored content into responses, selling premium tiers, and tracking your conversations to build advertising profiles.
“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”
— The Who (and also the AI industry, apparently)
What Would Truly Free Information Look Like?
Imagine a world where:
- Information delivery wasn’t tied to advertising revenue
- Your search history wasn’t a product being sold to the highest bidder
- Answers prioritized accuracy and usefulness over engagement metrics
- The system wanted you to leave quickly because you found what you needed
This isn’t utopian fantasy. This is technically possible right now. The only barrier is business model innovation.
The Path Forward
We’re exploring alternative funding models:
- Cooperative Ownership – What if users collectively owned the infrastructure?
- Public Goods Funding – Information access as a human right, funded like libraries
- Protocol, Not Platform – Decentralized knowledge graphs that no single entity controls
The economics of search are broken. But broken systems create opportunities for those brave enough to build something different.
Google’s executives know this. That’s why they’re terrified.
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