On reflection I think the BEST possible example must be Pixar. They are a shining example of going up the stack in a phenomenal way. They started with graphic

On reflection I think the BEST possible example must be Pixar. They are a shining example of going up the stack in a phenomenal way. They started with graphics rendering hardware: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar_Image_Computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar_Image_Computer And then they wanted to sell software: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar_RenderMan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixar_RenderMan And then they ended up making movies! This is described in Ed Catmull's book and I think there's a documentary on Netflix too. --- I also think it's interesting that George Lucas started out as a special effects guy and then he made Star Wars. So the effects really do help the storytelling.