... because none of them are going to succeed? That's an excellent reason to cut.
Just look at Google's financials. If they "sacrifice the future" and nuke everything other than search and search advertisements, they'd make a LOT more profit.
Just look at Google's financials. If they "sacrifice the future" and nuke everything other than search and search advertisements, they'd make a LOT more profit.
But one invention that popped out of PARC did---the laser printer. That one invention paid for Xerox PARC many times over (maybe a hundred times over---PARC spent a few million but the laser printer pulled in a few billion).
Fundamental research is expensive in the short term, but it pays off handsomely in the long term (unfortunately, longer than Wall Street will allow it seems).
Difference being Xerox made billions after spending a few million on research. Alphabet/Google on the other hand have poured in billions into what are now called their 'Other Bets' over the past two years and despite what impact they've made the revenues have been dismal and growth was stagnant last year.
The closest thing I can think of happening at Google is Gmail, and that was over a decade ago.