@kungfuratte
@feddit.deYet it would be interesting to hear, why this shocks you so much. :)
Is it because you don't think search engines are a service worth paying for or because Google, Bing, DDG … are free?
The problem with all those search providers is: Someone still has to pay for infrastructure. You can either donate/pay for the service or accept ads and tracking.
(I know that YaCy works a bit differently, but honestly even though I really like the idea of the system: This "novel" search engine is almost 20 years old now and never really worked very good.)
Yet there is some truth to the comment. If we want a better less ad-dependend web we will have to address the topic of financing the infrastructure.
I think at least for me it would be cheaper to rent or "buy" movies à la carte on YouTube and similar platforms than subscribing to that amount of services.