Google says 20% time is going strong, and Google Now is proof
Google Now started when a few of us on the Maps team thought there was some really useful information we could show you on your phone based on where you are, and so we started working on it in our spare time, as a 20% project (as many projects at Google start). The further we got on the project, the more compelling it became, and everyone saw the potential of it.
It's hard to say where the truth is, because the reports from Google engineers has been someone scattered on the topic. But, if Google Now really did start as a 20% time project, it seems as though the policy is still doing pretty well, because Google Now is easily one of the best products to come from any company recently.
source: Quartz
