...start punishing slow websites by de-ranking them? The same way they have punished poor content in the past? The same method that worked every single time the

...start punishing slow websites by de-ranking them? The same way they have punished poor content in the past? The same method that worked every single time they've done it? You seem to believe that they don't have any other options which is wrong. They have a lot of options at their disposal and they intentionally chose a very hostile one.