I think "it doesn't really matter anymore" is right on the money.
.co as a TLD was essentially built around tech companies and directly marketed to them.
Plus if we're honest - most of the time people Google for companies websites that don't autocomplete in their address bar...
As an OTT example: If I want to come to Hacker News I type HN into Google and its the top result. I type two letters and click one link vs typing 'news.ycombinator.com' (typing 'news' for me brings the BBC). If a startup has put thought into their branding then a full web address isn't needed to find them. For that reason .co isn't confusing to most web users these days.
.co as a TLD was essentially built around tech companies and directly marketed to them.
Plus if we're honest - most of the time people Google for companies websites that don't autocomplete in their address bar...
As an OTT example: If I want to come to Hacker News I type HN into Google and its the top result. I type two letters and click one link vs typing 'news.ycombinator.com' (typing 'news' for me brings the BBC). If a startup has put thought into their branding then a full web address isn't needed to find them. For that reason .co isn't confusing to most web users these days.