I do think that they are starting to lose the power-user userbase when it comes to browsers and search engines. But their email, docs/sheets/whatever, drive, and now their DNS registrar services are all cemented into business flow.
It makes sense. They don't need the power users - they need the most users. As long as they have the most users, businesses (where the power-users are working) are going to use ancillary services like Google MyBusiness, Google Analytics, and embrace google-backed (and ranking-factor) tech like SSL certificates and progressive web apps.
I'll bet it's dwarfed by the number of times I get useful results from Google and total garbage from DDG.
Earlier today I searched for "CADT syndrome" to figure out what another HN comment meant by it. Both engines automatically correct that to "cast syndrome" if you search without quotes. But only Google provided a relevant result after being corrected "no, I really meant CADT syndrome". DDG gamely provided the "cast syndrome" results after correcting the query.
Two, the others are referencing controversial opinion content in particular. They are saying that if the search is about something controversial or politically charged, the google result is noticeably lacking. This seems more concerning to many of us because this isn't just a newer search engine not quite up to par, this is the search engine purposefully pushing users into filter bubbles of Googles choosing!
I hope I cleared up the difference between what you are referring to and what the others are talking about. Anecdotally, I can confirm as a heavy youtube user (both web and youtube-dl/mps) that youtube search is also affected. Many searches for things that aren't even that "out there" return no results, even with the exact name of the video. If you don't have the actual link from somewhere else, you can't find it. I think what google is doing is dangerous and a very slippery slope. Many of my datahording friends have been on youtube downloading sprees because they are afraid google is about to memory hole important videos that don't exist anywhere else that is easily accessible.
ps. This is also the nice part of the bangs of ddg. Don't like the ddg results, just do it again with !gyear etc. (vs the google gui way, and I don't even know if googles daterange: operator even works anymore)
As of now, the best resource (https://www.jwz.org/doc/cadt.html) is avaiable on both search engines as the first result for this query, and somewhere in the first ten or so results for "CADT Syndrome". The best set of results (for my Google history) is in Google's verbatim mode searching for "CADT syndrome" (the link under the search bar with the autocorrected version) which includes mailing lists and release notes from various opensource projects
interestingly there is also another meaning of CADT (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4610895/) which is less favored in google, but shows second place in ddg. Perhaps if we were into medicine papers this would show up higher in google.
Only ddg results include this (Hacker News) page and the comment you referenced (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21337404)
Bottom line, both gave me useful results, ddg needs a better verbatim mode, google tracks me
I primarily use DDG, and in my experience when its results are bad, Google's usually are for that query too.
YouTube is better off with meta tag recommendations instead of their fancy little AI.
I sort of feel like their recommendation AI is a bunch of if-then statements designed to funnel you into more heavily-monetized content if they think you display any interest at all.
Reality TV recommendations... Jersey shore... celebrity gossip...everywhere...it took 2 weeks to disappear. Strep throat is cured in less time than contracting celeb gossip videos.
I'm a guy in my 30s. Nothing in my view history ever says, "Hey, this guy is progressive enough to wear makeup." At that, I watch english, polish, and french videos. Ads I get, Spanish. I dont know spanish. I'd accept general language learning ads. But tostitos and I think one was health or house insurance... in spanish. It's like the ad bot is some redneck that thinks there are two languages, American and not-American.
The recommendation bot and ad bot are just terrible. The moment theres a half way decent competitor to youtube, my ass is jumping ship.
Your recommendations may return to normal.
Although one person did complain Google closed his account because he used that app: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21247759
I suspect they are partly worried about results being gamed there...but everything is gamed. Maybe the main search results should be empty too.
Google suggestions for "is stephen miller":
* is stephen miller married?
Bing suggestions for "is stephen miller":
* is stephen miller gay?
* is steven miles married?
Maybe there's location stuff going on, or maybe they're guessing at what you're searching for based on previous searches or something.