'New year, new low, Microsoft'—even the search engines are firing shots on social media now, as Google employees take aim at Bing over 'long history of tricks'

Software’New year, new low, Microsoft'—even the search engines are firing shots on social media now, as Google employees take aim at Bing over ‘long history of tricks’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Software’New year, new low, Microsoft’—even the search engines are firing shots on social media now, as Google employees take aim at Bing over ‘long history of tricks’When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: 400tmax via Getty Images)

Seattle, USA - Jul 24, 2022: The South Lake Union Google Headquarter entrance at sunset.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

A results page for a Bing search for “Google,” showing a page with a search bar that looks remarkably like Google.

I just tested it now, and it’s still happening, although the “Microsoft Bing” cookies request at the bottom does somewhat ruin the kayfabe. As our own Joshua Wolens described it, “I’d bet a billion it’d hoodwink your less tech-literate family members and friends. You know, the kind of people who might find themselves doing a Bing search for ‘Google’.”

As for that “long history of tricks”, Tabriz isn’t entirely wrong. Just last year, PC Gamer’s own Rich Stanton was blindsided when thesheer audacity of a pop-upadvertising Bing during his browsing that made him think he had some sketchy malware installed. Then there’s the Bing wallpaper app, which wasallegedly doing the same, along with the recommended settings automatically swapping your default engine for its unused self. I’m sort of desensitised to it now, and I only use the search bar for files anyway, but in 2022 Microsoftmade it your desktop’s defaultengine, too.The Verge, whose article on the subject Tabriz is quoting, actually has anupdated listof all the times Microsoft’s tried to sneak it past you.

The funny thing is, Tabriz isn’t even the only Google employee taking pot-shots at this thing. Product manager Jeffrey Jose writes “shameful” in asimilar post, while product strategy manager Apran Das adds: “Nice jugaad”, presumably sarcastically, given he’s reposted Tabriz’s statement (ajugaadis a word that describes a sort of patchwork or roundabout solution to a problem).

I mean, listen. I’m about as nervous about Google’s techno-monopoly as any person with a passing knowledge of science fiction. The company has even been orderedto sell the very web browser in questionafter a judge ruled that it had acted illegally in order to maintain its iron grip on the market. But from a consumer perspective, you can’t just ‘here comes the aeroplane!’ a search engine, Bing. We’re grown adults. I only eat my broccoli if it’s aspaceship,like any self-respecting member of society.

I’ve reached out to Microsoft to see if it’d like to explain this particular rugpull. I’ll update this article if I receive a response. In the meantime, I’ll just have to live with the fact that we live in a society just a few steps away from Google and Microsoft meeting in a parking lot to dance battle with each other.

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