"even when they don't work". While they may not "work" (read: they may not have the outcome that was expected from the beginning), they still "work" in that th

"even when they don't work". While they may not "work" (read: they may not have the outcome that was expected from the beginning), they still "work" in that they help Google (and others) learn how to improve other things later. It may not be the most fiscally responsible thing to do, but learning isn't cheap when you're trying to solve the problems they're trying to solve.