[apendleton]

Because Google is a publicly traded company and has a fiduciary obligation to put its resources to use making many for its shareholders. It's apparently pretty hard to actually succeed at making a lawsuit for breach of fiduciary duty stick, but waste is one of the valid reasons for which one can bring such a suit. They can do outlandish research, but there has to at least be a glimmer of rationalization for how the thing could make them money eventually.