[anders30]

I don't have any factual link handy but don't a small percentage of startups take off? I remember reading here on HN that a VC will invest a little money in a lot of companies knowing (hoping?) that most ideas will fizzle, some will do okay, and a few will make millions or more.

Having grown up with Google, I had hoped to see Web ads as their first Unicorn and expected more of the side projects they let their employees work on "take off". It's certainly not for lack of trying; it would be very interesting to summarize Google's pushes into other markets and see why they have failed to expand their core competencies.

Google has in no way failed, but I have always expected another PageRank type success somewhere.