Went to https://play.google.com/console and it all seems to be okay. The two derelict apps already have package IDs and my info is on the identity tab. I think I may have visited that page a year or two ago in response to an email from Google. Or is there something else?
I paid the fee for a dev account near the beginning of Android. Haven’t had any apps published in over a decade, but from what I understand my account is grandfathered in so I don’t have to jump through as many hoops to get something published if I chose to, compared to newer accounts. Anyhow, since I have an account I suppose I’m unaffected by this decision. Still, it goes against the original spirit of Android as a free and developer-centric platform and I condemn it.
The 10 second 0-60 of my current ICE compact crossover SUV already gets me around town and on the freeway just fine. A 90s Toyota pickup I once had gave a 13 second 0-60. Slate Truck is 8 seconds. The Slate Truck isn’t going to give Tesla acceleration, but hardly anyone needs that, and that’s not what this is competing against. As far as horsepower, the Slate also beats both. So no, this doesn’t have “shit power” it has expected or even above-average power compared to competing 4-cyl ICE vehicles.
With any conspiracy theory I ask myself “Would I be able to do anything about it even if it were true?”. So far the answer has always been “No”. Therefore, I feel it’s pointless for me to let myself get upset or waste time and emotional energy on them when I could instead be doing something else.
With any luck there will be pushback somewhere that Google can’t ignore.