Seconded.
I can also call AT&T and, eventually, reach someone. If I'm angry enough, I can ask to be routed to cancellation. (They fix things quicker.) If things go awry, I can threaten, and act on the threat, to escalate matters to my state regulator.
None of these are options with Google.
I pay for G-Suite for a side-project I inherited (I use Office 365 as my daily-driver) and while there is human support available, they don’t make it easy to get to. With Office 365 the phone support contact details are 2 clicks away from any screen.
Twitch, Patreon, Curiosity Stream, etc are all taking the parts of the pie that YouTube could have had if they invested in understanding the communities that built themselves on top of their platform. But instead, smaller, more agile (the verb not the noun) companies are responding to the demand while YouTube's advertising revenue streams are starting to dry up.
I am just not comfortable with seeing Google as a lesser threat.
But yes, this is why you use the DNS service of your choice instead of whatever dhcp returns.
If Google's algorithm can ruin your life or your business, then I would suggest you figure out how to decouple Google's influence on your life and business. I am sure it wont be easy, but I am also sure it can be done.
Yes, Google is the new TV. And when we are old, we will be telling our children that Youtube "rots your brain," just like our parents did.
Adapting your habits is easier to control than breaking up Google and Youtube.
> For those who are customers of AT&T - how do you like your service? Is it as good as Google?
Since you asked... AT&T is way better, here in Oakland and also in Austin (fiber). It's always up and there's actually decent customer support you can call. Their cellular service has been great too. Meanwhile, Google's search has turned into a content marketing delivery machine, and Google Drive web UI still cannot catch up to Windows 95 File Explorer features&performance.
But if you asked me which company can ruin my life or my company's future due to a glitch in an algorithm, the answer will be Google, not AT&T. I worry that Google is allowed to control both the search and the web browser everyone uses. I also worry that as Youtube is becoming increasingly more important for video, they'll control the "future of TV" as well. I am less worried about "dumb pipes" which is what AT&T is to me, especially with the latest migration to encryption for everything, even DNS.