It absolutely can be, but my impression is that it's usually a way for engineers to pad their resumes and corporations to accumulate patents to pad their IP ass

It absolutely can be, but my impression is that it's usually a way for engineers to pad their resumes and corporations to accumulate patents to pad their IP assets. In support of your case, advertising is very much in line with Facebook's business model, so it's a bit less speculative than I was characterizing it.