Comment by paxys

Product cycles – we need to launch feature X by arbitrary date Y, and need to make compromises to do so.

Management overhead – product managers, project managers, several layers of engineering managers, directors, VPs...all of whom have their own dreams and agendas and conflicting priorities.

A well funded pure research team can cut through all of this and achieve a ton. If it is actually run that way, of course. Management politics ultimately has a way of creeping into every organization.