[pgodzin]

I definitely agree that it sucks when you're one of the consumers affected. But I would argue that this fail often strategy lets you quickly figure out what works and what doesn't for most consumers, and let's you prioritize accordingly and maximize net consumer value created. Obviously that comes with negatives, but I believe they are outweighed by the positives.

[chiefalchemist]

Push come to shove, I'd side with Thiel. That is many of Google's fails are staged. They need excuses / distractions from their core monopoly-esque products.