Interesting viewpoint. From my own social circles (which, unpopular though it may be here on steemit, tend towards the left / socialism side), people tend to see this stuff and think: "Good! If Google can put themselves on top, how will others compete?"

In this case though, I think you are right - after all, Google is not a public utility. They are a private company. Why would they not give themselves better ad placement, the same way I'd value my own content for my blog higher than some random guest who wanted a post (unless that guest post was valuable to me?)

You make an interesting observation that this could be more of a macro-level shakedown by the EU to keep Google from pulling money out towards their American headquarters... not a very palatable motivation for a fine. Thanks for the insight.