Google; almost 50 functions & resources killed in 2011

"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

I am fully convinced the same is true for companies. Shedding these opens opportunities for new projects to prove themselves.

Though, if a bit of cliched grumbling can be forgiven, I'd argue that they shut down the "useful search engine" project, too.

Good. Some useful products were lost, but hopefully the remaining ones become better than ever!

In other companies, they would wait years, put all of them in one bag, and announce a layoff.