I suspect this is a naive guestimate by the author. There are many ways to search that don't involve going to google.com in a browser, and with the combination

I suspect this is a naive guestimate by the author. There are many ways to search that don't involve going to google.com in a browser, and with the combination of Google Now and Google Maps/Nav, people surface a lot of queries through organic behavior. It can't be overstated, too, that Google is making the majority of the money from in-app advertising, so that additionally mitigates the decline. If I were an investor, I might be worried about some aspects of Google, but this isn't one of them. I'm probably biased, though. I am constantly "ok googling" to learn stuff. Having young children will do that to you.