I don't think sponsored results are a big deal, as long as it's transparent, and "pure" results are easily accessible too (and they are). We live in a society

I don't think sponsored results are a big deal, as long as it's transparent, and "pure" results are easily accessible too (and they are). We live in a society where advertising exists. I'm not saying I like advertising, but it is a basic skill to be able to differentiate advertising from content. If some people can't tell the difference, I don't think that's a very strong argument for saying the practice should be banned. Having some cruft around my search results is a small price to pay for a free service that basically powers modern society.