As Kay himself has said so many times, this question is entirely about funding. With ARPA/IPTO-style funding, you get Kays (and Engelbarts, Minskys, McCarthys, Corbatós, etc) With VC and NSF, you don't.
Even Kay hasn't been able to "be Kay" since the 80s: worrydream.com/2017-12-30-ala…
