I've been using kagi for a while now and has basically replaced Google for me. One of the things I really like is the ability to have rewrite rules for URLs which I use for stuff like Aws cli docs which almost always link to an old version by default but now I always get to the right page first time

They probably wanted to add Google domains to their ever growing product graveyard so I guess selling it is better than forcing everyone to fix their DNS.

Sucks though. Was really easy to use and for the most part just worked.

I think a lot of developers tend to massively underestimate the value of product management and good copywriting. Granted it’s probably a lot harder to find people with those skills in open source communities but I think that having a clear idea of who your target audience is goes a long way.