How Google Search Sold Out
The search engine used to be a gateway to the rest of the internet. Now, it’s something else entirely.
Listen longer
Slate Plus members get ad-free versions of all Slate podcasts, plus extra segments, bonus episodes, and more. Try it free today.
Listen & Subscribe
Choose your preferred player:
Apple Podcasts
Get Your Slate Plus Feed
Copy your ad-free feed link below to load into your player:
Episode Notes
In the early days of internet search engines, Google set itself apart by providing a simple service—a list of links, inviting you to explore the websites that best matched your query. It was a portal to the rest of the internet. But over the last two decades, that mission has changed.
Does Google search still take you to the best result for your query? Or does it point users back to its own suite of products?
Guest: Adrianne Jeffries, investigative journalist at The Markup.
