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Message| (59,940)      With these words, Google went public in
2004 - and they have, since then, been true to their word. They
have not been maximizing short-term profits; neither have they
been stinting on long-term investments, especially in projects
like the self-driving car which might not pay dividends for a
decade or more. Today, Google (GOOG) spent $3.2 billion to
acquire Nest. Once again, they're investing for the long term.
On the same day, Suntory (OTCPK:STBFY) spent even more money - a
whopping $13.6 billion in cash, plus another $2.4 billion in
assumed debt - to buy Beam (BEAM), a coveted whiskey company.
Suntory doesn't need to worry about what its public shareholders
think, because it doesn't have any. It's privately held, and can
spend its money on anything it likes, while keeping an eye on
long-term value rather than short-term profits.  Neither of
these acquisitions makes sense if you approach them wielding
earnings multiples o