I find it fascinating that through the business lens, Google is competing with Facebook to sell more ads by going into low earth orbit. We didn't get flying cars like they promised in the Jetsons, but that sounds pretty futuristic.
This is a bit like claiming that Google is investing in radical medical technology because people will watch more ads over their newly extended lifespans.
While this is something Google earns most its money on, I don't think it's the sole reason for its actions, nor that it wants to stay in that business forever.
> "Selling ads" puts it harshly, but it's entirely what this is about.
By the same token, you're a machine that transforms food and oxygen into excrement and CO2. That puts it harshly, but it's entirely what this is about - if you judge things at that level.
What I mean is - selling ads is what keeps their "corporate metabolism" going, but the actual long-term goals of the founders might be (and, indeed, are) very different from that most basic of all levels.
I think Google has shown they're trying very hard to become a primary infrastructure host for any business in "The Cloud", getting more people online opens up new opportunities there too
When your trying to grow you either make the glass bigger or add more water. By providing more internet to people who don't already today, you're simply making the glass bigger, which means more ads can be served up.
