[dragonwriter]

> Google users are not (in most cases) their customers but a product Google sells to their actual customers.

No, Google users are suppliers of a product (ad views) that Google sells to their customers. But they are suppliers that are paid via in-kind exchange (with Google services) rather than cash, which is exactly equivalent to being customers of Google services that pay with in-kind exchange rather than cash. So, in a very real sense, those users are customers.

[eveningcoffee]

Are chickens in the farm also customers?

[dragonwriter]

> Are chickens in the farm also customers?

Chickens in a farm aren't situated similarly, with respect to the farm, as users are with respect to Google services.

Chickens can't freely choose a different farm, or to use no farm at all.

[eveningcoffee]

So if chickens could choose a farm, they would become customers?

In addition - open air held chickens could run away but they choose not to.

[vinceguidry]

Do Google users get slaughtered? I mean, that is why it's undesirable to be a chicken in a chicken farm, right? If it weren't for that, then choosing the farm you are on would be quite the desirable ability.

What if all that happened on chicken farms was one of their feathers got plucked once in awhile?

[eveningcoffee]

I was considering the kind of farm that produces eggs, so being slaughtered was not in the picture.

So the question is - what are the sufficient conditions for a chicken to be raised to the customer status from the equipment status?

[andybak]

Funny but not profound.

[eveningcoffee]

Analogy is actually much stronger we like to admit.

Even if chickens would have choice, all they can choose from for their actual survival is another chicken farm.

Over time they have downgraded their ability to survive without support of the chicken farm.

Even if they had some money to pay for the entrance into the chicken farm then collecting their eggs would be much more lucrative business.