Google Says Goodbye to Its Think Tank

Google's think tank Google Ideas is no longer.  Google has relaunched the think tank as an incubator and renamed it Jigsaw.  The goal of the new entity is to invest in and develop tech solutions to geopolitical problems and digital attacks, according to media reports.

Jared Cohen, who has headed Google Ideas since its inception five years ago, will head Jigsaw.

Here is more insight as to why Google dumped its think tank:

Part of the transition of Google to Alphabet Inc. was management's argument that disclosure of the activity of the units of the company would help investors gain insight into how the units work and spend money, beyond its huge search engine unit.

Alphabet has dumped one of the businesses that has the least value to shareholders, its think tank dubbed Google Ideas. It has a new name, Jigsaw, and a new home, far from Alphabet's other businesses, almost all of which are more promising.

Up until its end, Google Ideas was considered to be one of the world's best for-profit think tanks.

Even with the demise of Google Ideas, Google still maintains a deep connection to think tank land and continues to donate to numerous think tanks.