Are Moonshot Innovation Projects Worth The Cost?

Is the cost of innovation in moonshot projects worth it?

It seems that the answer may very depend on what your strategy is and how you plan to get there.

This recent article on challenges in developing fully autonomous vehicles is interesting because it forces you to assess the extent to which you're willing to make the bet on the future trajectory of a particular technology trend, and how much time, energy and budget you're willing to commit to the experiment before you either: call it a day; or pivot based on what you've learned in the process.

It seems that for some of the major players in the automotive industry the cost of the moonshot vision of a fully autonomous self-driving car means that it isn't worth proceeding further. Instead, they are now looking at nearer term technology bets such as driver's assist, as a means of creating value for their customers and shareholders.