For Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group, time is extremely valuable. Projects overseen by the mobile-focused research group are given two years before its fate is decided. And that could mean being shutdown, sent to Google, or sold. There are exceptions to the time limit but the Google ATAP group wants to keep things fresh rather than relying on projects that are dragging. Applying a time limit also lowers the cost if that a project fails.
Eric Schmidt, Google Executive Chairman, said this about the group’s time limit:
“We like this model because it puts pressure on people to perform and do relevant things or stop. I’ve spent an awful lot of time on projects that never end and products that would never ship.”
The intention given to the group by Google has increased as the company is providing additional funding and a dedicated building. The group is led by Regina Dugan, former DARPA head, and consists of one hundred permanent staff members. Working on different projects are around 1,000 people. Dugan feels that the time limit keeps everyone moving and forces decisions to be made.
Some of the notable projects currently overseen by Dugan and the Google ATAP group include Project Ara and Project Tango. This May, new projects will be unveiled at Google I/O 2015.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
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