At the end of the day, the optimal result for users is serving the best content.
Define 'best content'. I checked and their are still sites of pure spam and total nonsense experimental bullshit that are still on the first page.
It's the sites that are actually ranking, long standing or not, with cohesive content and articulate links - with better monetising potential that are getting hit.
I have long felt that the considerable leniency given by tech leaders for so long toward SEO and SM 'cheats' has been to gather insight into the way blackhat operations function. People pinching a little bit of money here and there is worth it if it helps them to improve their own innovations to use against these very same test subjects in the long run. If they quarantined everything like a piece of malware they would have no further research to gather.
Got to remember Google have the high ground here and it is not a public elibrary even though it seems to have guised itself as one. It is a brand that wants to make a profit through it's operations like any business.
If it feels that a sites presence is not contributing significantly enough to it's own revenue generation (or worse is part of a network, which is a nemesis as far as SEO goes) then, keeping this in mind, it is their way of saying to all fast trackers - 'hey guess what, you're using our products but we have liabilities to pay off too, so either pay up or get off your ass, present your fair share of time and money to establish your brand. Or contribute to the hard work of legitimate brands and business cycles that might, you freeloaders'.
So with all due respect to people that have worked hard trying to cheat Google here just to have it amount to having a rug swept from right under their feet, you might have to re-evaluate your idea of stupid or clever google really is here. And whether they've already dropped the bombshell we anticipated here, or whether they're just going to gain further insight into how all effected 'potential' cheats respond. In which case it's probably best to lay low for a while. Any dire action will probably just result in further research and scrutiny.
