Lauren Weinstein on Nostr: I have a definite sense that Google has crossed the Rubicon, and not in a good way. ...

I have a definite sense that Google has crossed the Rubicon, and not in a good way. There are so many factors that have led up to this in so many areas. I could make a long list. But honestly, it's more of an overall sense. I've seen this happen to other large firms before, when they reacted incorrectly to changing market conditions, and ultimately destroyed the fine balance between management, employees, and customers/users. And I'll add, once the joy is gone, the path almost inevitably leads to decline. I frankly no longer feel that I can depend on Gmail being around in its current form in five years. My faith in Google Search has eroded enormously, and that was happening before SGE/AI Overviews, which are pretty much the nail in the coffin. People keep asking me for what I recommend as an alternative to Google -- right now I can't answer that, but unforced errors have broken Google in major ways now, and we all know the ultimate fate of Humpty Dumpty.