I just noticed via Nick Carr that Google has stopped linking to other sites as information sources in their "OneBox" when people do searches for certain types of information (before and after images at  Google Blogoscoped if you're interested).  For example, "news, stock quotes, weather, and local websites related to your search" used to be returned, but Google has just pulled out Yahoo and Mapquest as information sources when you search for an address.

Coupled with the fact that Google now unfairly promotes their in-house ads as "tips" above competing ads, Google's trustworthiness and neutrality has taken a nosedive lately.  Google obviously knows that they have a virtual monopoly on search, and has decided to monetize that further.

The problem with that is, the only reason Google HAS a monopoly is because they've historically provided the best and most reliable search results.  What they're doing now is seriously damaging that reputation and opening the doors for a competitor who's willing to share the wealth with the best information sources instead of their own.  In fact creating their own information sources was probably a bad idea in the first places because it created a conflict of interest which is now becoming apparent.  If they continue down this road it's not going to take much of a PR campaign to get people to switch if they know they'll get better results elsewhere.

Getting people to switch search engines is just a matter of convenience.  It's more convenient for people to use Google because they're familiar with it, and it works.  Until it stops working.  Google needs to realize that there ARE other choices out there and the market will separate the wheat from the chaff, that's what it was designed to do.