Seems like something similar happened to Google Pay[1] as well. With a few exceptions Google seems to suck at discerning between good and bad products. It'll shelve the likes of Reader or neuter Google Play Music, but insist on pushing garbage like G+.
This one boggles my mind. To take something that worked resonably well and degrade it into...whatever it is now is such a bad feeling. I guess Resume Driven Development is alive and well there.