I think their downfall has to do with Amazon percentages. When they started, they just took a percentage from Amazon at a flat rate, so they could just recommen

I think their downfall has to do with Amazon percentages. When they started, they just took a percentage from Amazon at a flat rate, so they could just recommend the ideal product, and recommending this product vs that product didn't impact their independence, because they got a flat percentage regardless of what they recommended. At some point, Amazon reduced their percentages or impacted Wirecutter's percentages in a negative way, so now they seem to prefer to get a cut directly from the seller. This means that to recommend something they need an agreement with the seller and negotiate a cut, which introduces something into the process where they aren't simply recommending the best, but there is some business element in the equation.