is it a waste when 20 companies compete in the open market for note taking apps, and 15 of them die completely?
google happens to be big enough to have an internal market, that’s all. your team isn't guaranteed to win. but your work output isn't considered a waste, unlike the open market. some of the ideas might survive in another shape. remember wave? and you move on to the next project. (promo considerations aside)
different people will of course internalize it differently. some bitterly.
I'm not referring to the plethora of chat apps. Those are wasteful and demonstrative of google's failings.