Closest to R&D we're getting is hackathons and the like, and in practice it's trying out new technology that someone else developed; coming up and developing so

Closest to R&D we're getting is hackathons and the like, and in practice it's trying out new technology that someone else developed; coming up and developing something new in IT is really difficult, and said development takes time for which you need buy-in first. That said, I'm sure there's still dedicated R&D at companies like Google and the like. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking.