I think it’s smart business because when your customer base is huge you don’t know everything that will be needed ahead of time. All those people out there try

I think it’s smart business because when your customer base is huge you don’t know everything that will be needed ahead of time. All those people out there trying to solve problems will find the pain points and need solutions - that’s the whole point of listening to your customers. The catch is that other people may be listening to your customers as well. Thus innovation and competition. I think Microsoft sees itself as a "platform" company, not a "product" company. In that context, it doesn’t need to be first to win - it simply needs to be the best at integrating the pieces into a cohesive unit. Platforms are for dealing with general problems and not specific ones, so individual features may get copied or innovative companies may get bought when you’re trying to build a common base that a large number of people can build on. The strategy of keeping an eye on what’s being done and incorporating the best and trying to improve on it sounds like a smart business strategy for a platform company to me.