Not every venture can completely pay back its initial costs in a short time period. It took Amazon.com an entire decade to finally start making an annual profit. The XBOX division is now on a very solid track of success, with significant annual profits and a substantial growth trend. This is hardly a failure any more than a family 10 years into paying off a 30 year mortgage is a "failure". The XBOX division has become a substantial profit center for Microsoft and will almost certainly turn a lifetime profit sometime in the next few years.
This is the nature of the game in the tech industry, significant returns are rarely achieved without significant risks and investments.
This is the nature of the game in the tech industry, significant returns are rarely achieved without significant risks and investments.