That strikes me as very reasonable. 20% (15%, whatever) time is largely self indulgent plus self education. I have no problems with being expected to supply tha

That strikes me as very reasonable. 20% (15%, whatever) time is largely self indulgent plus self education. I have no problems with being expected to supply that initiative. I've done it before, and invented products that the company ended up selling (until I realized the only payoff in this case was a "we'll compensate you for this later, trust us" - I'm not talking about any company discussed here, btw). This way it is not goof-off time as it will not attract anyone except self-starters and thinkers, but the company is providing intellectual and material resources. You get to have fun, rejuvenate yourself on the job, the company contributes some, and maybe, just maybe, you hit the jackpot at some point. If not, well, you learned some stuff and had fun.