Or, you know, they happen to have a pretty good search solution and don't want to spend time and risk building something else You wrote "or" as if th

Or, you know, they happen to have a pretty good search solution and don't want to spend time and risk building something else You wrote "or" as if this was an alternative conclusion. However, this is essentially identical to the thesis of the linked article: Google’s core business is still search. By neglecting UI and design for these products, Google corals user behavior into a “search-first” mentality. The more disorganized you become, the more reliant you become on search, and Google benefits. If it helps, I think you're both right. =)