I am not saying that I think hot or not apps are more important than advancing the technology of a civilization, but I do think that these decisions should be m

I am not saying that I think hot or not apps are more important than advancing the technology of a civilization, but I do think that these decisions should be made by the market. If someone makes money it is because they provided the rest of us with something that we value. It isn't our business to tell them exactly how to spend that money, it is theirs. I may have different priorities than other people, but it is wrong to tax away their money that they could have spent on what they value, and to spend it on what I value. I agree a lot of the companies VC's invest in are pretty stupid. However, the reason they are investing in a lot of these companies is because companies like Google are willing to pay large sums of money for them. Given this, it makes sense for them to invest in these companies. Most of these acquisitions of web companies for millions of dollars are by most standards a complete waste of money. But it is not my place to tell Google or anyone else that they should not be offering to buy companies like Path for a rumored $100m because I have a better use for their money. Google can afford to make these acquisitions at a loss though because they provide people with other things that are of value. I'm not saying I disagree with your priorities, but I think it is wrong to tax others to pursue them.