I work at Google. This isn't true.
Yes, ads fund everything else. But they don't dominate. People in non-advertising teams hardly ever ask "how will this effect click-through rates?".
Yes, ads fund everything else. But they don't dominate. People in non-advertising teams hardly ever ask "how will this effect click-through rates?".
Let me ask you a specific question. Google navigation. It's web-based only, right? It requires Internet. It does not work in a rural area where your phone has no Internet. Why not make this application a standalone, to enhance user experience? To make user "happier"? So that it works even without Internet? Don't tell me it's not possible: many companies have done this, well before Google, so Google can do this too. The answer: Google intends to serve ads, and for this Internet is the key. You don't have an Internet connected phone? Google does not care about you: you will not see ads.