I think secrets are like startups: the vast majority of them are worth nothing, but once in a while there will be one that's worth billions, and you usually can't predict which one that will be. So big companies try to keep everything secret just so they have this large portfolio of things they know that their competitors don't.
The vast majority of stuff I've worked on has been quite useless, but some of it has made millions of dollars, and it was very often the stuff that I thought was throwaway code or an interesting diversion that survives. Usually it's little details and not broad areas of work, though.
The vast majority of stuff I've worked on has been quite useless, but some of it has made millions of dollars, and it was very often the stuff that I thought was throwaway code or an interesting diversion that survives. Usually it's little details and not broad areas of work, though.