It occurs to me that one of Google's motivations for neutering adblockers could be that something like uBlock Origin might be able to interfere with the system

It occurs to me that one of Google's motivations for neutering adblockers could be that something like uBlock Origin might be able to interfere with the system if it had its full capabilities. Google could easily ensure anything about their ad system bypassed blocking, but when you're looking at several antitrust investigations plus the threat of more from this you probably don't want to look like you're giving yourself special treatment. It's a bit late given how badly they've sold this, but every bit helps.