[1024core]

> But if this happens too often, then somewhere along the decision chain people are missing the mark on what's worth building and supporting. In Google's case, they should probably put a bit more thought into it before releasing something to the public. This situation, to me, is a sign of overconfidence among Google workers about their abilities.

From what I hear, it's the internal performance evaluation and promotion processes at work here. People are rewarded for "launching" products. Once a product launches, backs are slapped, promotions are had, and everyone moves on. There are no clawbacks if the project fails; the fact that it launched is all they care about. This is why there are so many little projects which launch, flounder and then are turned off.