[obviouslygreen]

Google throws its weight around just as much as Microsoft ever did, they just smile while they do it.

I think it's less a matter of attitude and more a matter of being really, really good at doing it either unobtrusively or at least in a way that people won't mind or won't understand.

With so many years of experience with how users interact with information, they have the potential for unprecedented insight into the realities of UI interaction.

I'm not saying it's a good thing, and I agree that Google isn't doing us as users any favors in this regard (any more than Microsoft ever did or does), but there's more behind the fact that they're getting away with it among less user outrage than simply public image.