---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Big companies are looking closer term…"
description: "\"Big companies are looking closer term, and even the most technological companies spend less than 1% of sales on research. Startups have suffered the bu..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/nicholas-negroponte-7911_big_big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-an_2753246.png"
---

#  Big companies are looking closer term, and even the most…

![“Big companies are looking closer term, and even the most technological companies spend less than 1% of sales on research. Startups have suffered the burst bubble.” quote by Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/nicholas-negroponte-7911_big_big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-an_2753246.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/nicholas-negroponte-7911_big_big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-an_2753246.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/nicholas-negroponte-7911_big_big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-an_2753246.png)

> “Big companies are looking closer term, and even the most technological companies spend less than 1% of sales on research. Startups have suffered the burst bubble.”

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Notes that large firms limit R&amp;D spending while startups suffer after a market bubble burst.

**In simple terms:** Big firms cut research budgets; startups struggle post‑bubble.

Key Takeaway

Balance R&amp;D investment across company sizes.

Themes

research funding market cycles startup risk

Mood

analytical concerned

Type

business economic

When to use this quote

- budget planning
- startup financing
- risk assessment

Key Concepts

innovation economics strategic planning

Questions to Reflect On

- How can startups secure stable funding?
- What policies encourage sustained R&amp;D?

A Different Perspective

Large firms may still underinvest despite trends.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Big companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-companies/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Startups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startups/)

## Related quotes

> [Big companies such as Google and Facebook buy startups at ridiculously high prices - not for their products, but for their people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-wadhwa/big-companies-such-as-google-and-facebook-buy-startups-at/)

[Vivek Wadhwa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivek-wadhwa/)

> [Startups are the engines of exponential growth, manifesting the power of innovation. Several big companies today are startups of yesterday. They were born with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/startups-are-the-engines-of-exponential-growth-manifesting-the-power/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [“If you want to make money at some point, remember this, because this is one of the reasons startups win. Big companies want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/if-you-want-to-make-money-at-some-point-remember-this-because-this-is/)

[Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/)

> [Startups allow technologists and scientists to take risks and change plans in a way that would be frowned upon in a big company. Having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/startups-allow-technologists-and-scientists-to-take-risks-and-change/)

[Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/)

> [I hear my own daughters talking about big companies polluting the environment, and then I realise they are talking about companies of which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indra-nooyi/i-hear-my-own-daughters-talking-about-big-companies-polluting-the/)

[Indra Nooyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indra-nooyi/)

> [They have a policy in China for their big companies called "Go abroad." It's a rational thing for both the company and the country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/they-have-a-policy-in-china-for-their-big-companies-called-go-abroad/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [The shining star in the world is Shanghai. That's what CEOs from big companies say - 'if I want mathematical analytical work done, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-rosling/the-shining-star-in-the-world-is-shanghai-that-s-what-ceos-from-big/)

[Hans Rosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-rosling/)

> [I never imagined I'd be working with government, or military or politicians or big companies. None of this stuff I'm doing was on any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/i-never-imagined-i-d-be-working-with-government-or-military-or/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [In the increasingly digital world, data is a valuable currency, yet as consumers, we control and own little of it. As consumers, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mougayar/in-the-increasingly-digital-world-data-is-a-valuable-currency-yet-as/)

[William Mougayar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mougayar/)

> [I don't think you're going to have one bank. Big companies aren't going to give us all their business. So they can pick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/i-don-t-think-you-re-going-to-have-one-bank-big-companies-aren-t/)

[Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/)

> [Be creative. Innovate consistently on the little things that the big companies ignore. Little things often make big differences in business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/be-creative-innovate-consistently-on-the-little-things-that-the-big/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I started noticing a lot of big companies are bored with ads; they feel sort of lost in the advertising world. They're not into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-mcinnes/i-started-noticing-a-lot-of-big-companies-are-bored-with-ads-they/)

[Gavin McInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-mcinnes/)

> [Whatever vocation you decide on, track down the best people in the world at doing it and surround yourself with them. Aim high and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-weiss/whatever-vocation-you-decide-on-track-down-the-best-people-in-the/)

[Scott Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-weiss/)

> [In the commercial world, big companies mostly die within a few decades because they cannot maintain an internal system to keep them aligned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-cummings/in-the-commercial-world-big-companies-mostly-die-within-a-few-decades/)

[Dominic Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-cummings/)

> [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

## More by Nicholas Negroponte

> [What's the difference between obsolete and cutting edge? Obsolete works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/what-s-the-difference-between-obsolete-and-cutting-edge-obsolete-works/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [The computer provides the only way to give students a real foundation in 21st-century skills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-computer-provides-the-only-way-to-give-students-a-real-foundation/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [The process of debugging, going an correcting the program and then looking at the behavior, and then correcting it again, and finally iteratively getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/the-process-of-debugging-going-an-correcting-the-program-and-then/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [I think life's turning into an omelet and people will just have to live with that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/i-think-life-s-turning-into-an-omelet-and-people-will-just-have-to/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [Linux is its own worst enemy: it's splintered, it has different distributions, it's too complex to run for most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/linux-is-its-own-worst-enemy-it-s-splintered-it-has-different/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [But just as elevators have changed the shape of buildings and cars have changed the shape of cities, bits will change the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/but-just-as-elevators-have-changed-the-shape-of-buildings-and-cars/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [Good education has got to be good entertainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/good-education-has-got-to-be-good-entertainment/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [Even in the developing parts of the world, kids take to computers like fish to water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/even-in-the-developing-parts-of-the-world-kids-take-to-computers-like/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [Key is the question of where do new ideas come from. Historically, four places: government labs, big corporations, startup companies, and research universities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/key-is-the-question-of-where-do-new-ideas-come-from-historically-four/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [Everybody agrees that whatever the solutions are to the big problems, they ... can never be without some element of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/everybody-agrees-that-whatever-the-solutions-are-to-the-big-problems/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [A Wired reader told me once, Get a life, which I read from the back of a yacht in the Aegean, while eating fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/a-wired-reader-told-me-once-get-a-life-which-i-read-from-the-back-of/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [Give One, Get One generated about 100,000 zero-dollar laptops. Somebody else paid for them, but from the recipient's point of view, that's zero.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/give-one-get-one-generated-about-100-000-zero-dollar-laptops-somebody/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [Rote learning is a killer for most of us and for some people, it really excludes them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/rote-learning-is-a-killer-for-most-of-us-and-for-some-people-it/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [It's hard to propose a $100 laptop for a world community of kids and then not say in the same breath that you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/it-s-hard-to-propose-a-100-laptop-for-a-world-community-of-kids-and/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

> [This is just the beginning, the beginning of understanding that cyberspace has no limits, no boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/this-is-just-the-beginning-the-beginning-of-understanding-that/)

[Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

[Explore all 86 Nicholas Negroponte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/)

## More Big quotes

> [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/)

[Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/)

[Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/)

> [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/)

[Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/)

> [I always want to do a big finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/i-always-want-to-do-a-big-finale/)

[Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/)

> [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/)

[Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/)

> [So I concentrated on the rhythmic side of things, and therefore left a lot of holes. I didn't want to use big pad chords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/midge-ure/so-i-concentrated-on-the-rhythmic-side-of-things-and-therefore-left-a/)

[Midge Ure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/midge-ure/)

> [I think a big part of success in football is mental, not physical. How you are inside your head matters more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iker-casillas/i-think-a-big-part-of-success-in-football-is-mental-not-physical-how/)

[Iker Casillas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iker-casillas/)

> [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/)

[Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/)

> [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/)

[Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/)

> [If you read 'Lord of the Rings' and dismiss it as a lie because it has orcs and elves, you're missing the whole point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-tennapel/if-you-read-lord-of-the-rings-and-dismiss-it-as-a-lie-because-it-has/)

[Doug TenNapel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-tennapel/)

> [What I know about Ali Krieger is no moment is ever going to be too big for her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-ellis/what-i-know-about-ali-krieger-is-no-moment-is-ever-going-to-be-too/)

[Jill Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-ellis/)

Browse all 12,477 Big quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Big companies are looking closer term, and even the most technological companies spend less than 1% of sales on research. Startups have suffered the burst bubble.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nicholas Negroponte"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-and-even-the-most-technological/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Big"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-and-even-the-most-technological/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/nicholas-negroponte-7911_big_big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-an_2753246.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/nicholas-negroponte-7911_big_big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-an_2753246.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8f/nicholas-negroponte-7911_big_big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-an_2753246.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Big companies are looking closer term, and even the most technological companies spend less than 1% of sales…” — Nicholas Negroponte",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Nicholas Negroponte",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Big companies are looking closer term,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-and-even-the-most-technological/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/big-companies-are-looking-closer-term-and-even-the-most-technological/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
