Actually, Google search has an ARPU of ~$256 per year [1] -- i.e. they're monetizing your eyeballs for about $20 a month. I applaud OpenAI: Please keep the service paid & ad-free. Thanks!

[1] https://mondaynote.com/the-arpus-of-the-big-four-dwarf-every...

Stupid? If you had no access to a free search engine would you spend $20 a month on it? I sure would. It is also stupid to think that promoted results aren't a cost for you; if the search provider values it, there must be a cost.

ChatGPT still has a free tier. I don't think $240/year for faster responses + piloting new features is worth it for most people.

You aren’t the customer on classic search engines.

If you don’t use an adblocker with these many searches, you are probably worth more than $20 a month of advertising revenues.

And if someone offered you $20 a month to never use a search engine would you really take it?

"Best new 2023 top 10 monetized link page match you like it please adword affiliate link such many money give me".

Take my $20.00

Mandatory HN Kagi plug.

  > and they are free

The advertisers on Google would tell you otherwise. You are the product, ads are shown to you and you likely will click on one or more of them. Of course everybody says they don't , but the majority of people do.