I think that's part of the reason they tend to fail in other areas: it's just not important enough to them except for the data it generates for thier ads.

Not only that, all these failed/terminated google services collected huge amounts of data. They were able to analyze that data and make ridiculous conclusions about human behavior. Whether those services are functioning or not anymore, they still learned what they learned. For companies and governments that want to manipulate populations, that is the most valuable product that exists.