As the author himself (sullivandanny) replied, you misread the title.
But I will actually claim that PageRank itself is a problem not just because it is so gamed but also because web page authors link to things they find via Google, creating a positive feedback loop that undermines the very premise of the PageRank algorithm.
Search engine research had stagnated because of Google's dominance, and Google itself is not motivated to change, much as Microsoft was unwilling to evolve its cash cow. Rather than innovate in search, it spends most of its resources on ways to shore up its dominance (Google+, Android), fighting the very thing its search engine feeds (Internet garbage), and strengthening its advertising business.
But I will actually claim that PageRank itself is a problem not just because it is so gamed but also because web page authors link to things they find via Google, creating a positive feedback loop that undermines the very premise of the PageRank algorithm.
Search engine research had stagnated because of Google's dominance, and Google itself is not motivated to change, much as Microsoft was unwilling to evolve its cash cow. Rather than innovate in search, it spends most of its resources on ways to shore up its dominance (Google+, Android), fighting the very thing its search engine feeds (Internet garbage), and strengthening its advertising business.