The saddest part of this is the plaintive note at the end that Reader might somehow have saved us from algorithmic optimisation.
If G had figured out how to scale it up, you can be sure within 18 months Reader would be suggesting three pages of articles (and video, don't forget to pivot to video!) to see before letting you check the sites you'd chosen to follow.
https://www.theverge.com/23778253/google-reader-death-2013-rss-social