Don't they use accounting tricks these days so they can keep their cash and then carry it to the stock market? This has the double advantage to keep the stock market inflated and compared to R&D where you risk product failure, the stock market is backstopped by the government and risk-free.
That's why we don't have flying cars. Instead of investment in core competencies we invest in the market.
You should take an intro flight lesson at a flight school. There's no way the majority of people could safely fly a personal aircraft in all weather conditions. Flying cars will have to be 100% dependent on a really good autopilot which hasn't been developed yet (which I guess is sort of the point you're trying to make).
Ugh flying cars would require a whole different level of infrastructure to protect pedestrians and property from idiots/malignants in vehicles. We already have giant cement blocks and metal poles everywhere, now we need human-permeable cages.
Isn’t that exactly what the article is claiming they should do? Investing in sales and marketing now to drive future annuities isn’t the same strategy as reinvesting profits to dodge taxes as the OP claims
is it fair to say that investors see more return through reinvestment rather than distributions? Reinvestment sees 100% of the capital, but distributions are at best 75%? Assumptions are that the reinvestment creates value fairly quickly and drives the stock price up.
That's why we don't have flying cars. Instead of investment in core competencies we invest in the market.