It's even worse than this. Google's entire business was based on the browser search model. You want to know something, you opened your browser, then 100% of the time went to "google.com", searched, scroll,scroll,scroll,click and get a reward with your answer while seeing ads. Which pretty much describes a dopamine feedback loop.

The problem isn't that they don't have a ChatGPT ready (they do -- and it's probably better, I'm certain) .. but rather that, by even doing so (providing a chatgpt based search) they undermine their entire business foundation. Because now if you want to know something, you simply chat, and instantly presents a dialog with your answer. And with seemingly unlimited capabilities to write follow-up questions just like you would to a normal person.

How are you going to sell ads to that? Imagine talking to a chat bot that tries to sell you a new refrigerator when you're asking about something else, awkward? That's not going to happen.

That's why it's worse than a strategic mistake, it's an extensional threat-- they are damned to undermine the entire foundation in any direction they take.