In the other direction, Google thinks I'm a bot if I use complex search queries (exclusions, site:, quotes, etc.) in an attempt to find what I'm looking for. Apparently it thinks I'm too intelligent to be a human.

You’re not profitable enough. You’re insisting on finding the thing you want, instead of settling for what Google is pushing today.

Since they're on HN they likely use uBlock, which means that they're not profitable for Google regardless of how they search

I get that you meant that sardonically but it's worth pointing out that it would be even more unprofitable implementing ways to catch and redirect you.