> In a perfect world, every search would result in a page with a single item: exactly the thing you were looking for.
Not everything is search. Sometimes you genuinely want to see the list. eg. transactions in your bank account, messages in your inbox, posts on your Facebook wall, etc.
Also, who's to say you're only searching for one item? Ever searched for a used car on Craigslist? You probably want to see more than one result.
Even if you were only searching for one item (say you're searching Google for an article you read a few weeks ago), sometimes alternate results are useful too. What's wrong with discovering something new?
He acknowledges that, but if there was a way to see just the listing you're going to accept (of course that's impossible, so they show the first best matches) wouldn't you want it?
Not everything is search. Sometimes you genuinely want to see the list. eg. transactions in your bank account, messages in your inbox, posts on your Facebook wall, etc.