Google wants to kill the URL and Wired is complicit in their propaganda by writing this stupid article. I’ve lost most hope from Google where engineering managers say dumb things like

People have a really hard time understanding URLs

but Wired also have this gem of a loose statement (without any evidence)

If you’re having a tough time thinking of what could possibly be used in place of URLs, you’re not alone. Academics have considered options over the years, but the problem doesn’t have an easy answer.