You are quoting that statement out of the context within which it was written. Because something is not explicitly stated does not mean you can automatically infer something implicitly. Here is the full statement;
The above speculation is almost entirely false:
We do not and never have shown different results or change the order of any returned results depending on if ImagePreviews are turned on or off. If you have seen this occur, please let us know the details and we will investigate it as a bug.
We do not mix or test Newest First search results from one customer search to another for the same criteria -- the results should change only if there were in fact newer images added for that search. Again, if you see otherwise please let us know and we will investigate it as a bug. Keep in mind that we add thousands of new images every day, and also that many submitters change and add keywords after images have been approved.
We have explicitly stated that the goals of all of our recent changes are both to increase downloads and to help our customers find the right image more quickly. We will continue to work toward those goals.
The reason that newer results may not be selling as quickly now is that, as we have explained in our prior posts in this thread, the Most Popular alg now considers a variety of factors beyond just the ratio of total downloads vs total time-available for that image. These new factors we are considering are all image or keyword level factors, and have nothing to do with submitter level data.
We will continue to improve our Most Popular alg when our research indicates we can further improve the quality and relevancy of the returned results. This is a difficult and ongoing project to which we will continue to devote substantial resources. We recognize that if our customers cannot find what they need, and quickly, then our library size is not serving them well.
Submitting high quality images with good keywords always has been the best way for submitters to improve their own earnings. We have a large library but there are still many areas in which we need updated, high quality content.
Thank you for your comments in this thread and please continue to give us detailed feedback that we can incorporate into our ongoing research. I assure you that your feedback is part of our decision making process.
Thanks.