I think the criticism would be that if their philosophy used to be focusing solely on search, and now they are doing other things, these side projects were never part of the "endgame". Perhaps they suffered from this.
Lack of single-minded focus is NOT Google's problem. They have others.
[sent from my Chrome Browser]
If a project looks spontaneous, it could indeed be a great idea, but often it can look like something created because it's what everyone else is doing.
Which is better: the market telling Google which (or both) of its two operating systems are viable or some VP making that decision?
The empire complex ruins big companies. It's the biggest threat to google's ability to remain a vital, innovative company in the long-run. It's good to see they haven't succumbed to it yet.