The main goal of the email authentication update was to encourage more people to set up email authentication, such as custom Return-Paths and DKIM, by making the process easier. As part of this update, the requirement for adding an SPF record for customer domains was removed, contradicting a common pattern used by Email Service Providers (ESPs). This change is not because SPF is dead, but rather because the way ESPs ask customers to implement SPF is technically incorrect. The issue lies in the fact that ESPs use a different DNS record lookup for SPF than what's recommended by the standard. Instead of adding an SPF record to their own domain, customers are now encouraged to add a custom Return-Path using their own domain, which provides full SPF support at the Return-Path domain. This change simplifies the setup process and removes an obsolete practice. However, some mailbox providers, such as G Suite, still require an SPF record for customer domains.