They are highly dependent on outside search engines. Someone from Kagi gave an explanation on HN of their search costs and why they can't go lower, and calling the Google API on many (most?) search queries was a major driver of their costs.
It's great that they are developing their own index, but I'm skeptical that it makes up more than a tiny fraction of what they can get from Google/Bing. DDG has been making similar claims for years but are still heavily reliant on Bing.
This isn't to knock on upstart search engines. I think that Google Search has declined massively over the past 5-10 years and I rarely use it. More competition is sorely needed, but we should be be clear eyed about the landscape.
It's great that they are developing their own index, but I'm skeptical that it makes up more than a tiny fraction of what they can get from Google/Bing. DDG has been making similar claims for years but are still heavily reliant on Bing.
This isn't to knock on upstart search engines. I think that Google Search has declined massively over the past 5-10 years and I rarely use it. More competition is sorely needed, but we should be be clear eyed about the landscape.