Google engineers are encouraged to contribute ideas to the business, but nontech ideas Googlers dream up have a shot at adoption as well.

The Google shuttle bus exists today because Carrie Spivak, who used to work on the company's book search product, got sick of driving to work and scouted out a bus company, then plotted out the routes a shuttle might take. She brought the idea to senior management only after she'd done all the research. Any other company Google's size would form a cross-divisional transportation feasibility committee to study the issue. Google just did it.

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