
IBM research scientists go their own way - gibsonf1
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/30/BUT21EKMSF.DTL
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Jun8
Although this article reads like a paid ad for IBM (journalists, like everyone
else, have to eat) I did a summer internship in Almaden in 2000 and the place
was awesome, albeit not as quite open-minded as described here perhaps.

The important thing many companies don't realize is that having 20% (or "wild
duck") projects is only the first tiny step in the right direction. Many tech
companies have these and it means nothing by itself. It needs to be coupled
with a healthy way of percolating these ideas upwards in a combined peer-
manager controlled way. Doing this is hard.

When I read comments from their managers I get the feeling that they are just
doing it for the looks/fun/PR, i.e. they're not taking it as a serious source
of their future revenue. Well, with this approach, it will never become such a
source.

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elblanco
I really can't stress how important these types of pure R&D incubators are for
future tech. Almost every major piece of technology we use today came out of
one of these types of labs.

