Am I orthogonal to the market?

Nicolas Negroponte (MIT Professor) just told me and others at a MIT event that research should be orthogonal to the market, i.e., we should try to do the things the market cannot do. I think his advice make sense.

I don't know if I am orthogonal. I must identify my angle to the market and articulate it. However, the same is true for some research funding organizations.