Google’s Sergey Brin knows a multibillion investment opportunity when he sees one. Acutely aware of the competitive edges timely data offers sophisticated investors, the company’s ever-entrepreneurial cofounder once proposed that Google launch a hedge fund. After all, what company on earth enjoyed greater access to more insights more quickly from more people searching for more information? Then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt was appalled: “Sergey, among your many ideas, this is the worst.” (The legal and regulatory entanglements were apparently deemed too daunting to confront.) What a pity.