Report: Google's Area 120 Aims to Retain Startup Talent

These "20 percent time" efforts have resulted in Google News, Gmail and AdSense, but it can be difficult for Googlers to find spare time for such projects. Meanwhile, successful examples of Google employees who have parted ways with the company include Pinterest co-founder Ben Silbermann and Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom. Area 120 reportedly will have a space inside one of the tech giant's San Francisco offices, and teams at Google can apply to join it full time for several months by pitching a business plan. These employees will then have a chance to establish a new company with Google as an investor. Google also has increased its focus on entrepreneurial efforts by splitting its core search engine business away from its new parent entity Alphabet, which nurtures moonshot projects like the Google self-driving car and acquisitions like smart thermostat maker Nest. Alphabet also houses startup funding efforts Google Ventures and Google Capital.