This might also explain why mobile apps by the same company serving the same content and, presumably, contributing to the same business model somehow manage to

This might also explain why mobile apps by the same company serving the same content and, presumably, contributing to the same business model somehow manage to have less cruft[1]: there's a single gatekeeper team for each app. It's funny how the important difference between apps and web pages is entirely arbitrary, social and historical and not based on the underlying technology—the concrete difference between the two. [1] Or, at least, that's been my experience. As a concrete example, take a look at the BuzzFeed app[2] which only has the prominent social buttons as visual cruft. Of course, the rest of the cruft on the Buzzfeed mobile page were two (!) links to their app... The CNN app[3] is probably a better example, with the app being almost completely cruft-free. [2]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.buzzfeed.android&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.buzzfeed.a... [3]: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cnn.mobile.android.phone&hl=en https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cnn.mobile...