R & D is about the only thing you have if you want to make something out of nothing.

Most other forms of value-added activity need to start with something of value to begin with.

The closer that that "nothing" can be brought to zero, the greater the leverage by comparison until it wipes the floor with everything else.

It wasn't so bad until all the MBA's came along, they have nothing like the equations that are needed to figure this out when the data is not numbers yet. Regular non-degreed business operators used to be so much more advanced in mathematical intuition regardless.

The researchers stayed as talented, plus got better technology, the founding giants of leadership lasted as long as they could but were replaced by midgets, and here we are.