Shadow DOM is a key part of web components: http://www.w3.org/TR/components-intro/#shadow-dom-section
Shadow DOM is a key part of web components: http://www.w3.org/TR/components-intro/#shadow-dom-section
An analogy can be made to requestAnimation. raF isn't required to create animations, but it's highly useful in that context. raF can also be used for other use cases outside of animations (scroll effects, etc). Shadow DOM is the same IMO. It's a useful standalone technology, but when used in the context of web components, it really shines.
Anyways, I really think people are sort of attributing malice to Glazkov's remarks where none really ever existed, WRT shipping the shadow DOM in its current state.
Maybe, but that doesn't mean Google cares about enpowering the web platform in general.
If they did they wouldn't have removed other standard code (css regions), and they wouldn't have pushed for their, non-standard, Shadow DOM implementation.