Googler here: I did a true 20% project once. I was filing a ton of bugs about Android internally and the process was crappy, so I found another person and we st

Googler here: I did a true 20% project once. I was filing a ton of bugs about Android internally and the process was crappy, so I found another person and we started working on an app to report bugs directly from the phone. This went from nothing to a company-wide utility to a publicly launched app with full-time engineers (although I stopped my 20% contributions before that) [0]. So I think in this case we had a clear positive impact on the company that would not have happened without the 20% program. This app was launched by 2-3 20% engineers and 1 20% PM. This was way outside my core job role (Developer Relations) but it was a great experience and I believe I was rewarded for it when it came time to apply for promotion. People always seem to focus on the question of 20% time vs 120% time, but I don't think that question can be answered. Google does not have a time clock culture. I work about 45-50 hours a week. I have coworkers who work 30, I have others who work 70. When we had an office I got there at 7:45am, I sat near people who arrived at 11:00am. So basically time management is personal and so is how you choose to do a 20% project. In all cases the mandate is "get your work done". 0: https://9to5google.com/2019/03/12/android-q-beta-feedback-app/ https://9to5google.com/2019/03/12/android-q-beta-feedback-ap...