kagi exists. If you're not already using that then I'm not sure what other alternative business model you can ask for.

Indeed, I use Kagi daily. My point above was simply that this company looks like it will be subject to the same incentive problems as almost all other search engines, Kagi being the exception.

All we need is to show less SEO and more sites made with passion, that have communities involved in them, etc.

Aka things made by real people and not marketing drones.

Unfortunately, all the "real people" are only publishing things on closed-off social media sites instead of the wider internet, so the majority of things outside of those sites is either crap nobody wants to read, or mono-culture nerd/tech blogs from people like us.