I don't think it's a good idea to basically extort money from your company (or motivate them to sue you) by building a derivative product and threatening to tak

I don't think it's a good idea to basically extort money from your company (or motivate them to sue you) by building a derivative product and threatening to take it to a competitor. So I would cross that off the list. It sounds like you're an ambitious guy. Why not build something on your own outside of work? It's challenging, fulfilling, educational, and rewarding: you keep 100% of the value you create. I think more devs will be moving in this direction as time goes on and there are increasing resources to "guide the way". (Meta: I'm both doing this and helping others via https://IndieHackers.com. https://IndieHackers.com.) If I were you, I'd give the company the idea, then brainstorm new and unrleated ideas of my own, then get written/legal permission to work on them at home and own them.