I have a few comment/questions about all of this.
It is not really news that google has it’s tentacles everywhere. I am far from an expert at these things but I imagine at this point it has got to be nigh impossible to connect to the internet hardly without some kind of connection to google. It is a sad state.
Micro G is kind of a black box to me. I know it is a replacement for google services so that you can run apps meant for googled android without having google on your phone, but I imagine microG has to interface with google servers at some capacity to make this happen. Does merely this interfacing with google servers automatically give google your info? If I was super privacy focused like some here (not that there is anything wrong with that) I would think I would not want any google apps at all and thus would have no need for microG in the first place. Unfortunately you have to sacrifice much, I feel, to do that. For me, at least not being forced to have certain apps on my phone (like facebook) and not being fussed at and barred from basic functionality for not giving certain permissions, this is a step in the right direction and /e/ os gives me that. I do not have to connect my phone to a gmail account at all with /e/ os.
I feel like /e/ has their heart in the right place even if everything is not perfect. I sincerely doubt this is any kind of sinister plot to sell all your info to google or anything of the sort. My feeling is that a phone completely isolated from google could be provided but then you might as well be using a blackberry or palm pilot. At least /e/ gives you information on what trackers exist in certain apps etc. I think some connection to mainstream services and apps is necessary to attract a wider audience than just the early adopter types and the very privacy focused. If the community is never expanded in this way, there will never be enough momentum behind the project to be a viable third option to regular android or iphone.
Just some thoughts. Not meaning to be critical of any of the discussion. Just the fact that this discussion can take place openly and honestly is much appreciated (thank you e!).