Microsoft Research was founded in 1991, 16 years after Microsoft itself was founded in 1975 (1, 2). Y Combinator was founded in 2005, 30 years after Microsoft.

Microsoft Research was founded in 1991, 16 years after Microsoft itself was founded in 1975 (1, 2). Y Combinator was founded in 2005, 30 years after Microsoft. So I'd be surprised if with a 30 year head start Microsoft didn't have more long-term R&D investment, for pretty much any definition one chooses. 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Research http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Research 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft