So the title is a bit of an exaggeration. But, it was a bit hard to resist =). To add a disclaimer, this is not an attempt to badmouth Google in any way; I use some of its services and believe that some are the best of breed. I wanted to point out something interesting with the tips shown in Google Search. In any case...
It looks like at some point when an organization gets large enough and has quite the stronghold, it begins to contradict its own principle values. "Don't BE Evil!" was the slogan. However, on Christmas Day, Blake Ross, a co-founder of Firefox, wrote an entry that sparked quite a bit of controversy. The case and point: Blake Ross' recent blog entry voicing his disappointment with Google Search Results (or rather Tips at the top of the page).
Could Google Suggest have filled this role? Providing Tips to users and thereby getting exactly what they wanted: tips and advice. As highlighted by Blake, Google Search had the intent of returning the most sought after or popular results for any given subject. This contradicts that value by placing its "tip" at the top of the search results page. Having no knowledge of the underlying system, Google may very well have "smart default" settings to trigger when to show tips. Currently, it doesn't look to be the case as the tips appear to show up only based on case sensitivity. (i.e. type Yahoo Calendar vs. Yahoo calendar).
I don't think what Google is doing is "evil". But I do think that the times have changed and hopefully people will recognize Google for what it is: a business. And since its IPO, it is a public business with a driven goal to increase its market value. Today, Google is perceived like a company with a golden halo that cannot do any wrong. The culture embraces Google whereas the corporate giant, Microsoft, is perceived as the big bad wolf.
So while people who are part of the .NET community may be biased (or better yet, people who "drink the kool-aid" so to speak), it is high time to take notice when someone who leans towards the non-Microsoft side (a co-founder of Firefox) notices something wrong with Google. Will people begin to take notice in 2007? And will Google be agile enough to preserve its angelic image? We will have to wait and see.
It should make for an interesting year!