Sure, but what effect does that "experiment" have on the other companies that are dedicated to the idea? It doesn't matter what Google calls it. Google could crush those companies and still eventually consider this opportunity too small to be worth their while.
Hmm, then what can Google experiment with that doesn't carry the risk of harming a preexisting smaller company? I guess only things like self-driving cars that nobody else is doing?
I don't think the principle is that they shouldn't harm smaller companies. There is no problem with their current approach if they don't feel social responsibility, but if they do (and they claim to), then the current approach does seem a violation of that. I don't have all the answers as to how they should approach this, but it's not difficult to see that something is broken in how they are evaluating new products & services. It's not just that they end up abandoning a lot of them; it's what they do inbetween, as well. They seem to lack commitment to them.
Examples:
Could they really not have transformed Google Reader into something valuable?
Did they really promote Google Wallet for Digital Goods sufficiently to expect any sort of success from it? (I used it and the UX and fees were the best around; promotion was non-existent)
Did Google Helpouts get enough of a push, either?
This new thing is great if Google are going to get behind it and stick with it until it's successful. Their current track-record suggests that they will not.
