The true innovators maybe are the ones that exist by themselves without being "acquired", or before they get acquired (Apple was, is and will probably surprise again in the future, as will Google and Microsoft)

Once they get acquired...well...Skype Hotmail etc etc...(who are they again?)

And that's ok I guess, there's a lot of drive to create and grow (hack?), being top efficient and innovative on a shoe string budget, until you get a nice big fat pay check.

Maybe the little guys with big ideas are only "useful" until they get acquired, by that I mean that maybe it's more of a natural process that one thinks... Maybe by the time the technology is "invented", showcased and becomes stable enough to be "mainstreamed", it's time to collect your dollars and medal for "honourable service to xxxxx industry" and either move onto something else that will be cool and make you more (or less) money eventually and produce more internet "apps" addicts, or retire to the beach.