News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

A comment on No Science, No Startups: The Innovation Engine We're Switching Off. Parent comment

Re:No Science, No Startups: The Innovation Engine We're Swit... by philipallstar on Tuesday October 14, 2025 @06:58AM (#45578513)
> I'm not seeing how you get from share buybacks to a shift in priorities in corporate research.

Share buybacks are just the new go-to thing to blame. Economics students (at least "development economics") are memorising this concept all over the globe, so you can expect it more and more.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:No Science, No Startups: The Innovation Engine We're Swit... by modo_mario on Tuesday October 14, 2025 @10:47AM (#45580736)
New? It's been blamed for a long time now.

And it makes sense on this front.

You make tax optimising by dumping profits on R&D less attractive (and around the same time change patenting law with bayh-dole) and make it more attractive to spend it on stock buybacks to directly benefit shareholders

Results seen in the real world line up as less is spent on the former and more on the later so i'm not sure how the blame is unfounded

[ Parent | on HN ]