[usrusr]

Google has automated fear on the client side: some of their most important products are "not for sale", but ad-spend might be used a signal in ranking. And because the ranking works in mysterious ways, nobody can do an informed cost/benefit decision, nobody dares to reject the Google what the Google is due. Advertisers faithfully put their money in the sacrifice box, afraid of finding out what would happen if they did not. Google has effectively deified itself.

Follow-up question: was it all a cunning plan or was it discovered by chance? My guess is the chance discovery.