FWIW, many of the non-tech people I know gripe about the same user facing issues that come up on HN, including poor Google search results. They just don't post about it on the internet and might not even know that there are alternatives.

I would bet that a good chunk of users don't know that you can change the default browser or search engine, or at least don't think to do so. They might not like the UX, but they have other things occupying their focus and muddle through a bad experience with their phone or PC, just like they do with many other mediocre interfaces throughout the week.