I wish I didn't know things about Tim, and could just see him as the guy who gave CliffyB his start, wrote ZZT and Jill of the Jungle, and is at war against Valve.
Okay, that's easy: remove all the LLM slop. That'll start fixing it. Then get the ads out of the UI. Get rid of the MS account requirement, and make all updates optional. For a stretch goal, go back to making an OS that only does what the user tells it to, and doesn't have any function to phone home without direct user input.
I don't have a problem with them selling ads. I have a problem with the insidious tracking that has become a part of those ads. Mojeek sells ads but doesn't track you everywhere. Also, there's SearX instances, which typically don't sell ads or data.
They also don't use LLMs. If you think Kagi isn't giving away or selling your data, think again, because the LLM is doing it as a core function.
And your suggestion is instead... what? Exactly what the worst of them want to do to others? And you'll tar the people who aren't 100% evil bastards with the same brush?
No. Forgiveness, support, and education are the only way forward. It's not about what we did when we 'reintegrated'. It's about the fact that when we did, we still denied them federal funds, no one set out to build industries or safe jobs for the average people, and no one made any effort toward education in the south. And, might I add, no one actually gave a damn about the racial tensions, except in those rare cases where they were affected. Instead of trusting that churches will handle it, acknowledge that they'll turn into cults - look at how many literal cult groups there are in the southern USA when they were the only community support or education. Instead of saying "eh, you'll figure it out", realize that no, the average people will not. They'll continue to be screwed over like they've always been.
Educate. Integrate. Yes, demand better of them, but give them the tools to become better.
The American Empire is in a weak state right now because of who's in charge. We have only two ways of getting it back - an incredibly massive investment into global soft power, or a disturbing investment into forcing our hard power. Since that's the problem we face, we're even more in need of each other. We need to integrate for real, to acknowledge, defuse, and support. Because I'll tell you something. I live in NJ. I love cities, and I get unnerved outside of a city on the scale of NY/NJ. My needs and my lifestyle are totally different from those of a person in a rural community. But we need leaders who want to support both - and not people who want to hurt either fellow Americans or foreign people.
Flails are weapons for demonstration, not real fighting. Use a mace or poleaxe instead.