In HN people have low expectations for google so a limit seems reasonable to us. Google behaving shitty doesn't surprise anybody here. But what about with the normies? Google has deliberately cultivated an image of extreme technical capability with the normies. Google have deliberately convinced the general public that Google are basically internet gods who can do things no other company can, using their computer wizard magic. A normie can therefore reasonably believe that google could store a petabyte for them, when more technical people should reasonably know that google has limits. These aren't contradictory.

If Joe Blow's computer shop down the street offered "unlimited storage" then normies would understand that to be bullshit. But when Google gives that offer, it's taken literally because Google. And this is Google's own damn fault, their PR teams built Google's reputation to impossible heights deliberately.