3 ms·

>"Countless employees who could be great entrepreneurs shy away from the prospect because they have something to lose. What a corporation would have to offer as

>"Countless employees who could be great entrepreneurs shy away from the prospect because they have something to lose. What a corporation would have to offer as a percentage of returns would be less – perhaps considerably less – than what a venture capitalist or traditional banker would have to offer." That's why companies like Google do 10% time right? And didn't someone recently say Valve kinda does 100% time, everyone has the freedom to work on the project they find interesting.

diminoten 12y ago
I've always been told that Google doesn't actually do 10% time, or if they did, they don't anymore.
lnanek2 12y ago
Google pretty much ended 20% time. It requires management approval now and management is pushed hard re team productivity.
- skj 12y ago
  It requires management approval in that it has to be something that Google could use - needs not bear any relation to your team or product. If a manager prevents you from doing a 20% project, we're instructed to get in touch with... someone, I forget who but there is a route of escalation.
  - jjoonathan 12y ago
    If the manager is hurt when you take 20% time (and they will be if they are competing on productivity metrics that don't take it into account) I am sure they can find a way to retaliate (err, "communicate their priorities") that can't be provably identified in the escalation process. Besides, they wouldn't even have to be dishonest to say that you were underperforming on your primary project. "Google gets rid of 20% time" makes a good headline. "Google revises peer evaluation incentive structure to effectively penalize employees for actually using their 20% time" doesn't, but 20% time is just as dead either way.
    - encoderer 12y ago
      You don't work there? I just want to be sure I am reading it correctly. It must be strange to work at Google. To have people who have never worked there argue and disagree with your experience.
      - michaelochurch 12y ago
        I worked there. He got it right. Some managers are supportive and want their reports to succeed and will encourage them to direct their own work. Some are not. Google's great if you get a good manager. It sucks if you don't. Not much of a different story than in other companies. "20% time" means that if you do a skunk-works project and it succeeds (which is hard to do-- because Google places high demands in terms of reliability and internationalization before it allows a launch, and for good reasons-- if you're only giving it 8 hours per week, so most people whose projects succeed will "cheat" a little bit) that you don't have to apologize and won't get fired for the mere fact of having a side project. That's important, but the idea that average Googlers get 1/5 of their working time to devote to anything that helps the company is a myth.
        Rapzid 12y ago
        Yeah, sounds like every other large corp with deep pockets ever now in that regard. I've had this experience at large-ish tech companies and have actually ended moving cities to take a new position to work for a manager, and ended up moving on(from the company) after that same manager was re-assigned later on. Working with a great manager can be an awesome, motivational experience. It can really accelerate your career growth too.
        encoderer 12y ago
        That's too bad. I'm a lead engineer at Trulia and we have a quarterly hack week. It's less than 20% time if you do the math, but it's structured and has been, so far in our existence, inviolable. Many of these projects ship -- though they are usually features and not products.
      - jjoonathan 12y ago
drunkpotato 12y ago
Wow, deflation really hit Google hard. It used to be 20% time.

diminoten 12y ago

I've always been told that Google doesn't actually do 10% time, or if they did, they don't anymore.

lnanek2 12y ago

Google pretty much ended 20% time. It requires management approval now and management is pushed hard re team productivity.

skj 12y ago
It requires management approval in that it has to be something that Google could use - needs not bear any relation to your team or product. If a manager prevents you from doing a 20% project, we're instructed to get in touch with... someone, I forget who but there is a route of escalation.
- jjoonathan 12y ago
  If the manager is hurt when you take 20% time (and they will be if they are competing on productivity metrics that don't take it into account) I am sure they can find a way to retaliate (err, "communicate their priorities") that can't be provably identified in the escalation process. Besides, they wouldn't even have to be dishonest to say that you were underperforming on your primary project. "Google gets rid of 20% time" makes a good headline. "Google revises peer evaluation incentive structure to effectively penalize employees for actually using their 20% time" doesn't, but 20% time is just as dead either way.
  - encoderer 12y ago
    You don't work there? I just want to be sure I am reading it correctly. It must be strange to work at Google. To have people who have never worked there argue and disagree with your experience.
    - michaelochurch 12y ago
      I worked there. He got it right. Some managers are supportive and want their reports to succeed and will encourage them to direct their own work. Some are not. Google's great if you get a good manager. It sucks if you don't. Not much of a different story than in other companies. "20% time" means that if you do a skunk-works project and it succeeds (which is hard to do-- because Google places high demands in terms of reliability and internationalization before it allows a launch, and for good reasons-- if you're only giving it 8 hours per week, so most people whose projects succeed will "cheat" a little bit) that you don't have to apologize and won't get fired for the mere fact of having a side project. That's important, but the idea that average Googlers get 1/5 of their working time to devote to anything that helps the company is a myth.
      - Rapzid 12y ago
        Yeah, sounds like every other large corp with deep pockets ever now in that regard. I've had this experience at large-ish tech companies and have actually ended moving cities to take a new position to work for a manager, and ended up moving on(from the company) after that same manager was re-assigned later on. Working with a great manager can be an awesome, motivational experience. It can really accelerate your career growth too.
      - encoderer 12y ago
        That's too bad. I'm a lead engineer at Trulia and we have a quarterly hack week. It's less than 20% time if you do the math, but it's structured and has been, so far in our existence, inviolable. Many of these projects ship -- though they are usually features and not products.
    - jjoonathan 12y ago

drunkpotato 12y ago

Wow, deflation really hit Google hard. It used to be 20% time.