4 ms·

Is this like when Google started throwing off massive amounts of money, and Larry and Sergei were like, "I dunno, let's solve aging"?

melling 4y ago
Let’s hope so. Not enough of this in the world: “We choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard” But I’d be happy with a little Bell Labs at a few more companies
- bismuthcrystal 4y ago
  More like: “We choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are profitable”
  - marcosdumay 4y ago
    Hum... That's clearly not the case. That's why there isn't a lot of it around.
    - spiffytech 4y ago
      There are a lot of things that would be profitable, that are held back by either belief that they can't be done or by failure of imagination on their ramifications. Or because people profit from the status quo remaining unchanged. Non-scientific example: I just read The Box, a history of container shipping. It's remarkable how many transportation incumbents tried to put the kibosh on containerization because they believed it was either not practical or not profitable. In the end containerization hurt many existing power structures, but it reinvented global commerce and opened unfathomable financial doors for the world as a whole, creating financial empires that were impossible before.
- hotpotamus 4y ago
  I wonder if the Google Graveyard is full of things that proved to be too hard?
  - latchkey 4y ago
    Makani is a fantastic documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_hEja6bzE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_hEja6bzE
- ta988 4y ago
  They would have to spend a LOT more to go bell labs. Until now they spend way too little to achieve anything. And for companies like Google have real managers for those groups instead of people only good at optimizing metrics.
  - aliqot 4y ago
    Bell Labs is a good example of Icarus syndrome, I'd say they're doing that just fine.
aaaaaaaaaaab 4y ago
And it was a resounding success! (Not)
- fullshark 4y ago
  It was a resounding success for Google's brand perception among job applicants.

melling 4y ago

Let’s hope so. Not enough of this in the world: “We choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard” But I’d be happy with a little Bell Labs at a few more companies

bismuthcrystal 4y ago
More like: “We choose to do these things not because they are easy but because they are profitable”
- marcosdumay 4y ago
  Hum... That's clearly not the case. That's why there isn't a lot of it around.
  - spiffytech 4y ago
    There are a lot of things that would be profitable, that are held back by either belief that they can't be done or by failure of imagination on their ramifications. Or because people profit from the status quo remaining unchanged. Non-scientific example: I just read The Box, a history of container shipping. It's remarkable how many transportation incumbents tried to put the kibosh on containerization because they believed it was either not practical or not profitable. In the end containerization hurt many existing power structures, but it reinvented global commerce and opened unfathomable financial doors for the world as a whole, creating financial empires that were impossible before.
hotpotamus 4y ago
I wonder if the Google Graveyard is full of things that proved to be too hard?
- latchkey 4y ago
  Makani is a fantastic documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_hEja6bzE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qd_hEja6bzE
ta988 4y ago
They would have to spend a LOT more to go bell labs. Until now they spend way too little to achieve anything. And for companies like Google have real managers for those groups instead of people only good at optimizing metrics.
- aliqot 4y ago
  Bell Labs is a good example of Icarus syndrome, I'd say they're doing that just fine.

aaaaaaaaaaab 4y ago

And it was a resounding success! (Not)

fullshark 4y ago
It was a resounding success for Google's brand perception among job applicants.