> Asking someone if they are a shill is never "a perfectly valid question".

It was more of a question whether there is a conflict of interest; "shill" is a more loaded term than what was used. And the answer was actually a qualified yes, so there was at least a sliver of validity to the question.

I think it is a valid question when the defaults are google and there is a reasonable suggestion to not use google as the defaults in lieu of community or open-source options. When that question isn't answered (evaded) it's perfectly reasonable ask why.

And responding like that is never a valid answer.