Google just made a subtle but massive change Last month, Google quietly removed the num=100 search parameter. This means you can no longer view 100 results at once. The default max is now 10. Why does this matter? - Most LLMs (OpenAI, Perplexity, etc.) rely (directly or indirectly) on Google’s indexed results, alongside their own crawlers. - Overnight, their access to the “long tail” of the internet was cut by 90%. The fallout: - According to Search Engine Land, 88% of sites saw a drop in impressions. - Reddit, which often ranks in positions 11–100, saw its LLM citations plummet. Its stock dropped 15%. For startups, this is brutal. Visibility just got harder. Reddit as part of AEO just changed entirely. It’s no longer enough to build a great product you need to crack distribution first. Because if people can’t discover you, they’ll never get to evaluate you. Most engineers seem to always neglect this reality, but a mediocre product with great distribution will always beat a great product with mediocre distribution. As Peter Thiel says: “Most businesses get zero distribution channels to work: poor sales rather than bad product is the most common cause of failure. If you can get just one distribution channel to work, you have a great business. If you try for several but don’t nail one, you’re finished. Superior sales and distribution by itself can create a monopoly, even with no product differentiation. The converse is not true. No matter how strong your product — even if it easily fits into already established habits and anybody who tries it likes it immediately — you must still support it with a strong distribution plan." Distribution > Product (h/t Adarsh Appaiah on LinkedIn)