"If Bing were to overtake Google and become the preferred search engine, would anything really be much different?"

Maybe. Google sells site ads; Microsoft sells Windows and Office licenses; DuckDuckGo sells search ads; Apple sells hardware. Following the money, you realize that Google's goal is to produce search results just good enough to maintain its brand, while driving as much traffic as possible to sites that display its ads. Always ask yourself how your interests differ from your search engine's.