I can tell you as an in-the-trenches SEO that Google is 100% not in cahoots with SEOs in any way.
Google WILL bend over backwards for paid search agencies that direct their clients ad spend through AdWords - but this is not SEO. These paid search agencies that funnel millions to AdWords will get invited to Mountain View, get paid lunches, visits from Googlers, etc. - but this is SEM not SEO.
What does Google do for SEOs? They have a handful of ambassadors that answer questions on a weekly basis. While they are generous with their time (https://twitter.com/JohnMu), they keep things very close to the chest regarding the details of their algorithms. They will send some speakers to some SEO conferences, but will rarely if ever sponsor an SEO conference unless it's a part of a broader paid advertising or marketing tech conference.
Google WILL bend over backwards for paid search agencies that direct their clients ad spend through AdWords - but this is not SEO. These paid search agencies that funnel millions to AdWords will get invited to Mountain View, get paid lunches, visits from Googlers, etc. - but this is SEM not SEO.
What does Google do for SEOs? They have a handful of ambassadors that answer questions on a weekly basis. While they are generous with their time (https://twitter.com/JohnMu), they keep things very close to the chest regarding the details of their algorithms. They will send some speakers to some SEO conferences, but will rarely if ever sponsor an SEO conference unless it's a part of a broader paid advertising or marketing tech conference.
Google's Algorithm updates - https://searchengineland.com/library/google/google-algorithm... - rolling out every month or so are notoriously a black box and frustrate SEOs to no end!