Seems really strange to me to reject the notion of 'reading between the lines' when we know the motives of the company's leadership. We know they work with Google, we know they are interested in driving views and profits. Any interpretation that is consistent with their known motivations is worth considering.
Some things just aren't feasible to collect evidence for. You would need access to their private communications to find evidence. So your basically giving a pass to any maleficence done in the dark.
What you are saying is that you are biased against Google. I doubt that you demand proof every time you see retraction, and that you consider the publisher liars if they don’t show the proof. Right?
Also, Wired didn’t say the “proof” came from Google
The default position when commenting something on the internet is that it is opinion (this comment included). I don't think it has to be stated explicitly.
Ah, so when I tell you the Chicago Beers defeated the Miami Saints 37-12 in last year’s Super Bowl, it’s not lying or even incorrect, it’s obviously just an opinion?
"It is my opinion that Wired is not a good source of news" — opinion, expression of subjective epreference
"It is my opinion that Wired is intentionally concealing a conspiracy behind closed doors for their own gain and the harm of the public" — baseless conjecture about objective reality and conspiracy theory-spinning, that just happens to start with "it's my opinion that..."
Conspiracy-mindedness (leading to viral spread of disinformation, and even to acts of violence and terrorism) has taken too much root in the modern psyche, hiding behind the stolen shield of "all opinions are valid", when in fact they are not statements of subjective opinion, but instead baseless assertions about objective reality.