The question the author doesn't answer is, "Why?". Who the hell cares if Google is innovating and making the world a better place? They jettisoned their idealis

The question the author doesn't answer is, "Why?". Who the hell cares if Google is innovating and making the world a better place? They jettisoned their idealism with the founders and are a standard company. A standard, ludicrously profitable company. The more likely and rational approach to the situation described by the author is seeking efficiency in support of the core profit generating business. Google is ripe for huge, painful cuts that further consolidate wealth in the hands of shareholders. If that absolutely massive R&D spend isn't doing much, or doing anything efficiently, cut it. Personally I hate this approach and would love to see Google to return to its nimble and "Don't be evil" roots, but I have yet to identify sufficient motivation for it to do so.