You could make it binary and label everything as improving profit or investing in the growth of the company but I think we should define "growth" in this case a

You could make it binary and label everything as improving profit or investing in the growth of the company but I think we should define "growth" in this case as the relatively short-term investment made to grow. That's immediately what I thought of when I read and re-read the parent comment. Reading what was said, I imagine rolling out new markets, testing new customer acquisition methods, and hiring to focus on new features would all fit in this label as growth. Things like R&D might not. If Uber has been investing in self-driving vehicles, it may not pay off in the short-term, and therefore wouldn't fit in this set as it's quite speculative. Technical debt might fit here too. Or marketing debt: perhaps they want to establish brand guidelines and everything that comes with it. Great investment but not what directly helps you grow. A more direct "financial dial" might be restructuring your company from a legal perspective and forming new entities. Just sharing how I read "black-and-white consideration". Maybe the parent can clear up what they meant.