[cjsplat]

Or the OpenAI venture fund is an acknowledgement that success requires an ecosystem that extends beyond their front door. Funding startups is a great way to signal that OpenAI thinks their stuff is so compelling that it will lead to startup-worthy ROI. It is also a way to get a track on potential acquisitions.

The alternative is a pure NIH strategy, or build something and hope for partners, both of which are flawed.

And regarding the Thiel snippet, dividends are isomorphic to stock buybacks, which Google has been doing for a while. They seem to still be a tech company, at least as far as my Ex-Googler eyes can judge.

[texasbigdata]

Didn't apple do exactly this with maybe sequoia around it's iTunes store to encourage innovation?

Also, dividends generally can't be stopped. The expectation is that you continue and eventually increase them. Share buy backs aren't.