SEO becomes obsolete?

Some people suggest that SEO become obsolete as search engines become smarter and smarter. Is this true or not?

Only true for people like myself who fail to become smarter and smarter on that subject. It passed me by as I spent more and more time on other things. That's why I study the stuff Jeff posts here on SEO. I'm taking baby steps again.

Search engines are involving, but SEO has gotten more difficult, IMO. However, at this point, your SEO effort pays off if it's done right. I wonder if it'll be like that 5 years from now ...

SEO methods may become obsolete or rendered useless but in my opinion as long as there are Search Engines there will be Search Engine Optimization.

IMO, as long as webmasters control what is published on a site then there will be SEO.

I think SEO will evolve, not become obsolete. The rules may change, but as long as there are search engines, there will be a need to make Web pages "search engine friendly."

Exactly.

As of right now, SEO does not exactly bring the core quality of website. For example, link acquisition does not bring up the core quality of website fundamentally. Do you think that this trend will change over time?

I, for one, hope not. Aggressive link building is a short term approach...can be devalued at any time by change in algorithms. Anything that increases the core quality of a website has many more long term benefits...helping the business in other ways, outside of SEO.

I feel like I fell off the boat somewhere. What prompts you to compare SEO with core quality?