> technically it is irrational
Only if your company operates in a vacuum, without investors or customers
As an investor, I don't like a investment that throws away 10-30% of its resources, perpetually lowers morale except among the least creative and misses opportunities because their competition is faster.
Investing or buying into something new and unknown is by itself not a rational act (to the extent the thing is novel).
IMHO rationality (optimization) only makes sense relative to a well-defined goal.