Current Examples
It seems like Google continues to be in the business of creating wacky ideas that really don't seem to create much value for them although I think they've gotten a lot better lately (android and gmail / google docs for biz). But when it comes down to it, they are really only making money on ads and preferred search results, right?
Some other companies products that have me scratching my head are: Cisco making phones and Microsoft making MP3 players.
Amazon is interesting in their evolution. First they were a sales channel for books only and then a consolidator of sales channels. Then their success demanded they improve warehousing / logistics capabilities. And now, since they have so much experience with data and capacity issues, they are selling services in this area. I think I'm straying from the main discussion here.
As to your questions, a convenient explanation is dysfunctional organizations and that blanket includes most of what you suggest. Another thought is that IT workers are often introverted and non confrontational which may make us have a hard time getting to the CxO level to be seen as legitimate and also makes it easy to put the scapegoat label on us.
