OP made the point that Google does not want to address this problem and may even facilitate it (maybe passively). However, they have actively prevented progress on search engines that may be more difficult to SEO engineer/hack (because of their specificity) and particularly have prevented people with good vertical search algorithms from building a business (read: actively sabotaged their business). [1]
In any case, Google known as well to quash any other small projects that they feel challenges them. [2] [3] [4]
Wouldn't leaving a persistent flaw in Google search results which could be avoided by using a vertical search engine be an example of Google assisting vertical-search start-ups?
Maybe in theory, but if you look in particular at the reference labelled [1], it seems like they prefer to act as though it doesn't exist and if other people try to get vertical search going, then they simply block their startups.
OP made the point that Google does not want to address this problem and may even facilitate it (maybe passively). However, they have actively prevented progress on search engines that may be more difficult to SEO engineer/hack (because of their specificity) and particularly have prevented people with good vertical search algorithms from building a business (read: actively sabotaged their business). [1]
In any case, Google known as well to quash any other small projects that they feel challenges them. [2] [3] [4]
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/20/magazine/the-case-against... and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16420004 [2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19553941 web browser [3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18566929 person's idea taken after interview [4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19124324 business
References [2]–[4] are not specifically important; there are easily a dozen such kind of complaints if you just search for "google" on HN.