It's probably because the shareholders only care about ads and making more money. He's probably trying to reframe the discussion.<p>I have a bad feeling that Google is going to have a hard time continuing the way they are without some serious deliverables. I think this is why you can't expect C corporations to continue to "be good citizens" and really push the envelope.<p>Being on the stock market is a lot like being on the stocks. Hostage.
For all of you pontificating on the meaning of this... This is the annual founder's letter. The previous one was also published by the SEC: <a href="http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/000119312514199146/d726654ddefa14a.htm" rel="nofollow">http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1288776/0001193125141...</a>
I'm wondering if Google going public was a mistake. Whats the point of being "rich" and a "Google shareholder" and other temporary states of existence, if we never get self-driving cars or cure major diseases or get gigabit Internet or get cell phone service that isn't shit.<p>Seriously, no matter how rich you are, two of those won't happen for you (cure diseases, cell phone service), one of them won't happen the way Google envisions it (the car; even if YOU have a self driving car, you're not likely going to be the drunk driver that kills you, some other poor shmuck that doesn't have a self driving car is), and the last, the gigabit Internet, yes, you can just have the metro ethernet with a gigabit or greater port installed at your house, but the general Internet, the stuff we access normally, isn't designed, optimized, or otherwise meant for speeds that fast, and generally will be massively wasted potential if you're using gigabit for content consumption instead of production and dissemination.<p>I'm perfectly happy with Google blowing my money on shit I want. What use is money if I can't buy what I really want in the first place? Money keeps turning into some weird hoarding game where the rule are made up and the points may have never mattered in the first place. Money and resources are infinite, but so is human suffering, and since I'm still a human being, the suffering of others fundamentally makes me unhappy.<p>I'm tired of being unhappy.
Frankly, I thought computers and displays in contact lenses were a pretty obvious idea 20 years ago, but didn't seem like there was a market for it (not clear there is one, beyond geeks who want an email HUD).