graeme_p - 4:55 am on Sep 29, 2011 (gmt 0)

Given that no one offers less cluttered rankings of any value, I do not see the threat.

Also, the clutter is from a webmaster POV. You search for "hotels in [city]" and get links to hotel websites accompanied by a map showing exactly where they are, and link to reviews: you think "its pushed the organic SERPS down". The average users thinks: "useful".

It is true that Google faces the same problems that other big companies have faced, but knowing you have the problem does not mean you can successfully solve it. I can think of more companies that have failed to solve it, than have succeeded.