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Google is dead. Where do we go now?

circusscientist.com

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Re: Google is dead. Where do we go now?

#701

Post by Flere-Imsaho »

sidereal1 wrote: post #321
bsimpson wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's interesting to see how much of a behemoth Discord has become. Seems like there's a Discord for everything - from open source projects to hobbies and games to individual groups of friends/family. It's occupying the segment that subreddits historically have. However, it's perhaps-intentionally search-opaque. You can't Google to find a message/link/download that's gated by Discord. And it also gives a sense of comm…

One thing that's having a little comeback is the email newsletter (see Beehiiv). There's something nice about being able to get exactly what you signed up for and nothing more. No ads, no recommended content, no infinite scroll.

Yeah ever since email spam filters have been effective, email can now work as a social network. I genuinely think it's an untapped opportunity for the next "great thing".

Re: Google is dead. Where do we go now?

#703

Post by Zavora »

Chegg’s decline is a concrete example of how AI search is changing the web

There’s been a lot of debate about whether Google’s AI Overviews and tools like ChatGPT are actually harming publishers. One publicly traded company’s timeline is worth looking at: Chegg.

What happened (with sources):

2021: Chegg launched Uversity, a platform for educators to share academic content. (Wikipedia)

2023: ChatGPT emerged as a serious competitor in homework help. Chegg responded by launching CheggMate, its own AI product built on OpenAI’s models. (Wikipedia)

Late 2024: Chegg reported accelerating subscriber declines, widely attributed to users shifting to free AI tools instead of paid study platforms. (WSJ, company filings)

Feb 2025: Chegg sued Google, alleging that AI Overviews reduced traffic to Chegg by answering questions directly in search results, harming acquisition and revenue. (Search Engine Land, Reuters)

May 2025: Chegg laid off ~22% of its workforce (≈248 employees), citing competitive pressure from AI and changes in search behavior. (Reuters)

Oct 2025: Chegg announced another round of layoffs (~45%, ≈388 employees), explicitly referencing “the new realities of AI” and reduced traffic from Google to content publishers. (Reuters / SF Chronicle)

What the data suggests (more broadly):

Independent studies show that when Google AI Overviews appear, users are significantly less likely to click through to external sites.

“Zero-click” searches (where users get answers directly on the results page) have increased, especially for informational and educational queries.

The impact isn’t uniform — some publishers report minimal effects — but content that answers how-to, homework, or factual queries appears most exposed.

Why this matters:

Chegg isn’t a small blog or SEO-driven site. It’s a public company with audited financials, legal disclosures, and incentives not to exaggerate under scrutiny. Its filings and lawsuit don’t claim AI is “bad” — they claim that traffic flows are structurally changing.

This doesn’t prove AI search is “killing the web,” but it does show:

AI answers are substituting clicks, not just competing for them.

Entire business models built on informational content are under pressure.

“Build better content” may not be sufficient when answers are synthesized upstream.

Curious how others here see it:

Is this a temporary transition problem?

Or are we watching the unbundling of the open web’s traffic economy in real time?

Re: Google is dead. Where do we go now?

#704

Post by MonkeyClub »

jrflowers wrote: post #678
sph wrote: post #613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like her take-away from this experiment: Vincent stated that, after the experiment, she gained more sympathy for the male condition: "Men are suffering. They have different problems than women have, but they don't have it better. They need our sympathy, they need our love, and they need each other more than anything else. They need to be together." I respect that, compared to the arguments that sex A is having a be…

> We’re all in the same, but different, shit. Can you elaborate on other cases where the words “different” and “same” are interchangeable?

"Same difference" /s

Re: Google is dead. Where do we go now?

#705

Post by sethammons »

jrflowers wrote: post #678
sph wrote: post #613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like her take-away from this experiment: Vincent stated that, after the experiment, she gained more sympathy for the male condition: "Men are suffering. They have different problems than women have, but they don't have it better. They need our sympathy, they need our love, and they need each other more than anything else. They need to be together." I respect that, compared to the arguments that sex A is having a be…

> We’re all in the same, but different, shit. Can you elaborate on other cases where the words “different” and “same” are interchangeable?

It means that if you zoom out, things look more similar. Similar patterns, similar problems and solutions, but different components.

All the various shades of red are all red. All news is engagement bate (if it bleeds, it leads), but every piece of news is different. You are in a forest in region X and I am in a desert in region Y, both could be dealing with the same problem of keeping warm at night. It's all different, and yet still the same.

Re: Google is dead. Where do we go now?

#706

Post by lelanthran »

ndriscoll wrote: post #106
nacozarina wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

they won't be in a separate panel you can ignore, either the product promotion text will be integrated into the responses 'your prompt is insightful and refreshing. reminds me of the refreshing taste of organic coconut-cinnamon water. here's a QR code coupon for $1 off a 48-ct pack you can use at your local HoleFoods.'

More like "Fantastic! It's great that you care about what you should feed your children. A bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a great way to start your kids' day with the energy they need, and it's something they're sure to love! It's also fortified with vitamins to give them the nutrition they need! If you don't have any, I can start a DoorDash order right now." Or "It's great that you want to find a way to earn some…

They want to get there (embedded ads that look like content), but right now it's not so easy - how can they confirm to the advertiser that the ad was seen? What are they gonna do? Put in a 700-character long link in the conversation?

I'm pretty certain that the ChatAI providers want to show ads, but until they can bill for it, they aren't going to.

At some point the billing will work, and then they will.

Re: Google is dead. Where do we go now?

#707

Post by tuesdaynight »

xbmcuser wrote: post #520
cookiengineer wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a very interesting discussion with a friend today, where I was talking to her about the /r/golang thread about Rob Pike's comments to OpenAI and how the thread was full of bots talking with other bots. No idea why the density of bots was so high in that thread, it was kind of absurd to see. Then she said: "I know nobody that comments on online forums. Nobody would ever comment to strangers on the internet. It's…

Most of her friends are probably women. Try making an account with an obvious female name and you will see a marked difference on most social platforms I am saying this as a guy we really don't understand the world women live in online or offline.

It's really telling how most replies to your message are about "sexual market" or online dating. That's all some men can think of when talking about women online.

Re: Google is dead. Where do we go now?

#708

Post by nkapias »

Seattle3503 wrote: post #629
yunwal wrote: post #479

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The culture on discords tend to be way better than anywhere else on the internet, but discord really sucks to use. Somehow still doesn’t have a usable search, really underpowered notifications control, they have the worst pop ups imaginable that seem to just float on top of the whole interface and make it impossible to use. I really wish something better would come along.

I wish Discord had a betrer account switcher on mobile. I have a realname account for friends ana family, and another I use with randos.

I use discord PTB and Canary to run multiple instances with different accounts on a single device.

It also allows running multiple instances with a single account (to be on multiple vocals at once for example).

The only drawback is the release cycle is more frequent and I need to update every time I boot.

Re: Google is dead. Where do we go now?

#709

Post by saaaaaam »

jrflowers wrote: post #678
sph wrote: post #613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like her take-away from this experiment: Vincent stated that, after the experiment, she gained more sympathy for the male condition: "Men are suffering. They have different problems than women have, but they don't have it better. They need our sympathy, they need our love, and they need each other more than anything else. They need to be together." I respect that, compared to the arguments that sex A is having a be…

> We’re all in the same, but different, shit. Can you elaborate on other cases where the words “different” and “same” are interchangeable?

I want a sandwich to eat. You want sushi. We are both hungry.
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