"Says... you, right? Based on which examples of Google pursuing quarterly profits at the expense of users?"
Duh! Google local was a joke compared to better pages from Yelp. Google+ even worst. Pages are now filled with ads, because Google discovered that ads yield better results (how convenient!) Need I go on?
It seems you're making an argument of the form "it's too difficult to collect real evidence. In fact, here's an example of a way to collect real evidence that is ridiculously difficult. Since we cannot collect real evidence, we need not use it to make arguments."
Just because it's difficult doesn't mean you can jump to conclusions based on speculation.
Well, with the certainty you speak of this with, yes. Oh also, I'm being facetious because I work there and I'm interested in this secret pile of evidence you have. All things being fair, I won't deny that you've seen the things you've seen, it's just that you might be attributing them to the wrong places. Hence, the need for actual evidence.
