https://youtube.com/watch/...

I honestly don't believe it is really true and if it is, I don't think google listened in the backround or even cortana did, but it was youtube itself.

But still, pretty creepy and maybe listening does not work like in real time, but it is working. Slowly. Hidden. Precisely.

I call fake.

That's not how it works. People don't talk like that when they want to buy dog toys. The usual would be this:

**bark bark bark!

- Hey boy, wanna play? We can't play because you destroyed your favorite toy, remember?

**bark bark squeal

- Awww but you don't have any toys because I didn't get a chance to get any.

... you get the drill.

The "Let's see if I can find some AFFORDABLE DOG TOYS NEAR ME" would probably be more correlated to people playing the system, with very low conversion rate.

It's big data. It's about optimizing desired outcome. Clicking on an ad and leaving is not a desired outcome.