I get your point, and if the parent's argument was "but the situation is not that they do it on their own time, but that they violate NDAs etc." then it'd be a

I get your point, and if the parent's argument was "but the situation is not that they do it on their own time, but that they violate NDAs etc." then it'd be a solid argument. But the parent argues that it's completely normal for a company to claim ownership on 100% of employee's life and intellectual output, regardless of NDAs and IPs, and that Google has to be praised for permitting you to keep your intellectual output to yourself, if you ask extra nice. > so there simply isn't a reason to avoid doing it. Well, one of the reasons would be what I do outside of work is not my employer's effing business. Of course, if I am taking stuff from work, it makes sense to tell my employer - e.g., if I use company's car to move my furniture, I'd better clear it with my boss, same goes for IP. But if I use my own car to move my own furniture, why would I need to tell my boss about it, even if I use the company car when they are paying me? I mean, I might get a paper just to cover my ass, but that's rather a testament to the state of litigiousness and ridiculousness of our society, not a proper way to do things.