I should clarify, as I think we're saying the same thing in different ways. I don't equate "skunkworks" with high risk. To me, that's not "risk" as much as "I

I should clarify, as I think we're saying the same thing in different ways. I don't equate "skunkworks" with high risk. To me, that's not "risk" as much as "I don't care about monetization in the first place", like you're saying. I agree that research without promise of a payout is sorely missing these days. When I say "maybe we should have less high risk", I'm thinking of fly-by-night companies that do make a social media app for aardvarks, spend a bunch of money on slick marketing so they can pump their IPO, and then pull the rug with them when they bail. But billionaires don't become billionaires by doing skunkworks projects. They often do the latter.