More importantly, this creator (and I assume others as well including OP) has a good social following. He has been criticizing Google's treatment of small publishers, how Google AI is stealing content, and how bad the current search results are. The criticism is gaining traction, especially after Google Search's anti-trust trial. So, I am assuming Google wanted to take some steps and thought inviting the loudest voices would help bring the criticism down.
I kinda agree with your second point. These people built a business around a technology that they have no control over. But my only reservation is that said technology is Google—a huge monopoly and literally the gateway to the Internet. You can't let huge monopolies that control all entry and choke points go scott-free over these things.