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Perhaps this particular case has motivations similar to the ballon project, i.e. more internet access brings more ad impressions.

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I think it's naive to assume that Google's investments are always a couple of steps away from making money via ad impressions. Listening to Larry Page speak never leaves me with that impression, it usually leaves me inspired and of the opinion that Google truly wants to improve the human race, and the world, through technology.

I suspect that like Elon Musk, they believe they can succeed with hardware in areas that interest them just as they did with software, even if it's all about making money.

Sure, self-driving cars and satellites can be used to cut the cost of making maps to sell ad impressions against, but that's like buying an oil refinery as a fuel hedging strategy[1]. Plus unlike many of the web properties Google buy, Titan could probably turn a profit even operated entirely independently, and diversification helps. On the other side of the equation, Lockheed Martin has been buying up software companies focused on the logistics of running passenger airports.

[1]Delta Airlines actually did this...

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