[zaidf]

"Moonshot" is the Google term for R&D.

Google's R&D budget in 2014 wasn't even in the top 5: http://www.neowin.net/images/uploaded/2014/12/screen_shot_20...

Problem for Google might be that Wall Street may look at a word like "moonshot" and basically associate it with wasting money whereas if you call the same things R&D, it's something companies have been showing as an "investment"(not loss) for decades.

[kmonsen]

I don't think this is true for Google. The "Moonshots" mentioned here are pretty far from Google. It is in some sense R&D of course, but it is not R&D that will benefit Google as a company.

[zaidf]

How do you reach the conclusion that it is not R&D that will benefit Alphabet? They make it pretty clear it is a high risk high reward R&D, meaning if they hit pay dirt, it can be massively profitable for Alphabet.

[tyre]

Notice that GP said Google while you said Alphabet.

If they pay off, it benefits Alphabet. Maybe Google (the search engine monetized through advertising) but possibly not.

[zaidf]

I assumed GP meant Alphabet since public entity is Alphabet, not Google.

[kmonsen]

The moonshots are in alphabet, but pretty far from Googles core with Search, ads and Android. For example robotics, health care and self driving cars.

(I work for Google and have worked in another alphabet company)

[adrianN]

Google as far as I can tell understands itself not as an ad broker, but as an AI company. Robotics, health care, self driving cars and stuff like that are pretty much the future applications for AI.