sure, but google had the ability to be commoditized - people "google" even when they're just 'searching' (and the browser is set to default to DDG, for example)

sure, but google had the ability to be commoditized - people "google" even when they're just 'searching' (and the browser is set to default to DDG, for example). "googling=searching" for a sizable portion of the population, much like "kleenex=tissue" or "Xerox=copy" (back in the day). You could just say 'Xerox these reports' and people knew what you meant, even if your office had a Ricoh copier.