I guess we have different definitions we are working from, and that's where we are parting ways. A search engine's sole goal is to help the customer find what they are looking for. Search for "snow tires" and get reviews of snow tires, manufacturers of snow tires, and installers of snow tires. SEO's sole goal is to redirect that user's attention towards something possibly related (but probably not) in the effort to derail the user's initial intent. Same as advertising: Distract you from what you are doing, to get you to do something else. Search for "snow tires" and get "ski lift tickets". SEO is the focused practice of derailing high quality search results, and distracting the searcher. As such, any company that tweaks their algorithm to break SEO is someone I consider a friend.