Jump to content

Area 120: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
some more cleanup
Tags: Reverted Visual edit
Restored revision 1108319722 by Citation bot (talk): This has nothing to do with WP:UNDUE. Please raise your concerns on the talk page instead.
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Incubator for Google products}}
{{Short description|Incubator for Google products}}
{{One source|text=One or more sections of this article '''may rely largely or entirely on a [[Wikipedia:Articles with a single source|single source]]'''.|date=August 2022}}
{{Promotional tone|date=August 2022}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
Line 13: Line 15:
}}
}}


'''Area 120''' is [[Google]]'s in-house incubator in which employees work on [[20% Project]] product ideas. It has helped develop [[Gmail]], [[AdSense]], [[Google News]], and [[Google Cardboard]].<ref name="fastcompany">{{Cite news |last=McCracken |first=Harry |date=December 3, 2018 |title=An exclusive look inside Google's in-house incubator Area 120 |work=[[Fast Company]] |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90262791/an-exclusive-look-inside-googles-in-house-incubator-area-120 |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
'''Area 120''' is [[Google]]'s in-house incubator in which employees work on [[20% Project]] product ideas 100% of the time.{{tone inline|date=August 2022}}<ref name="fastcompany">{{Cite news |last=McCracken |first=Harry |date=December 3, 2018 |title=An exclusive look inside Google's in-house incubator Area 120 |work=[[Fast Company]] |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90262791/an-exclusive-look-inside-googles-in-house-incubator-area-120 |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>


The Area 120 division was created by [[Sundar Pichai]] in March 2016 and has since spawned over 50 projects.<ref name="fastcompany" /><ref name="march_2016_source">{{Cite news |date=June 30, 2017 |title=Google Unveils Advr, An Experimental Area 120 Project for Advertising in VR |work=Customer Experience Magazine |url=https://cxm.co.uk/google-unveils-advr-experimental-area-120-project-advertising-vr/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref> The objective for the Area 120 program is to incubate products that "graduate" back to Google.<ref name="fastcompany" />
Google's concept of 20% projects has led to many of the company's successes{{peacock prose|date=August 2022}} such as [[Gmail]], [[AdSense]], [[Google News]], and [[Google Cardboard]]. The Area 120 division was created by [[Sundar Pichai]] in March 2016 and has since spawned over 50 projects.<ref name="march_2016_source">{{Cite news |date=June 30, 2017 |title=Google Unveils Advr, An Experimental Area 120 Project for Advertising in VR |work=Customer Experience Magazine |url=https://cxm.co.uk/google-unveils-advr-experimental-area-120-project-advertising-vr/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref><ref name="fastcompany" /> The objective for the Area 120 program is to incubate products that "graduate" back to Google, where they can become the next billion-user or billion-dollar-revenue products.{{tone inline|date=August 2022}}<ref name="fastcompany" />


In November 2021, the division was reorganized under a new division called Google Labs (unrelated to the defunct service [[Google Labs|of the same name]]) along with Google's AR and VR efforts and [[Project Starline]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=November 11, 2021 |title=Google reorg moves AR, VR, Starline and Area 120 into new 'Labs' team |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/11/google-reorg-moves-ar-vr-starline-and-area-120-into-new-labs-team-reporting-directly-to-sundar-pichai/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111202202/https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/11/google-reorg-moves-ar-vr-starline-and-area-120-into-new-labs-team-reporting-directly-to-sundar-pichai/ |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |access-date=November 14, 2021 |website=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref>
In November 2021, the division was reorganized under a new division called Google Labs (unrelated to the defunct service [[Google Labs|of the same name]]) along with Google's AR and VR efforts and [[Project Starline]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=November 11, 2021 |title=Google reorg moves AR, VR, Starline and Area 120 into new 'Labs' team |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/11/google-reorg-moves-ar-vr-starline-and-area-120-into-new-labs-team-reporting-directly-to-sundar-pichai/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111202202/https://techcrunch.com/2021/11/11/google-reorg-moves-ar-vr-starline-and-area-120-into-new-labs-team-reporting-directly-to-sundar-pichai/ |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |access-date=November 14, 2021 |website=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref>

== Notable products ==
The program has funded more than 50 different ideas from Google employees. Notable product experiments which have emerged from Area 120 include:
* '''[[Tables (Google)|Tables]]''' – a collaborative database program comparable to [[Airtable]]. Graduated to Google Cloud.<ref name="tablesgraduation">{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=June 14, 2021 |title=Google's AirTable rival, Tables, graduates from beta test to become a Google Cloud product |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/14/googles-airtable-rival-tables-graduates-from-beta-test-to-become-a-google-cloud-product/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''[[Reply (Google)|Reply]]''' – an [[Android (operating system)|Android]] app which allowed users to insert pre-defined replies (called "Smart Replies") into conversations on messaging apps on their phone such as [[Facebook Messenger]], [[Slack (software)|Slack]] and [[Google Hangouts]].{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}
* '''Stack''' – an [[Android (operating system)|Android]] app that digitizes personal documents and extracts key information.<ref name="stack_tc">{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=March 30, 2021 |title=Google's Area 120 launches Stack, an app that digitizes personal docs and extracts key information |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/30/google-launches-stack-an-app-that-digitizes-personal-docs-and-extracts-key-information/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''Gamesnacks''' – an HTML5 casual games platform for mobile websites.<ref name="gamesnacks_tc">{{Cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Manish |last2=Kene-Okafor |first2=Tage |date=February 23, 2021 |title=Area 120 is beginning to use Google's massive reach to scale HTML5 GameSnacks platform |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/23/area-120-is-beginning-to-use-googles-massive-reach-to-scale-html5-gamesnacks-platform/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''Keen''' – an AI-powered competitor to [[Pinterest]].<ref name="keen_verge">{{Cite news |last=Vincent |first=James |date=June 19, 2020 |title=Google quietly launches an AI-powered Pinterest rival named Keen |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/19/21296636/google-keen-pinterest-rival-ai-machine-learning |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''Byteboard''' – a product that interviews software engineering candidates with real-world project examples.<ref name="byteboard_tc">{{Cite news |last=Lardinois |first=Frederic |date=July 17, 2019 |title=Google's Area 120 launches Byteboard to improve technical interviews |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/17/googles-area-120-launches-byteboard-to-improve-technical-interviews/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref> Spun out into a separate company in Oct 2021.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}
* '''ThreadIt''' – [[short-form video]] communication service for teams.<ref name="threadit_tc">{{Cite news |last=Heater |first=Brian |date=March 18, 2021 |title=Google Area 120's ThreadIt is bite-size video for team collaborations |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/03/18/google-threadit-is-bite-size-video-for-team-collaborations/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''Orion Wifi''' – lets businesses sell Wi-Fi capacity to [[wireless carriers]].{{tone inline|date=August 2022}}<ref name="threadit_wifi">{{Cite news |last=Hetting |first=Claus |date=September 8, 2021 |title=Google's new 'Orion WiFi' empowers public venues to make money on Wi-Fi offload |work=WiFi Now |url=https://wifinowglobal.com/news-and-blog/googles-new-orion-wi-fi-pays-venues-for-wi-fi-offload/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''Shoploop''' – a video shopping platform designed to introduce consumers to new products.<ref name="shoploop_tc">{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=July 16, 2020 |title=Google's latest R&D project is Shoploop, a mobile video shopping platform |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/16/googles-latest-rd-project-is-shoploop-a-mobile-video-shopping-platform/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''Touring Bird''' – a search tool for real-life experiences in major cities.<ref name="touringbird">{{Cite news |last=Plautz |first=Jessica |date=September 6, 2018 |title=Easily Find the Best Activities in Top Destinations With This New Tool Out of Google |work=[[Travel + Leisure]] |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/google-touring-bird-activities-travel-app |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref> Graduated into [[Google Travel]].<ref name="touringbird_graduation">{{Cite news |last=Poojary |first=Lax |date=October 22, 2019 |title=Touring Bird lands with Google to plan your perfect trip |work=The Keyword |url=https://blog.google/technology/area-120/touring-bird-google/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''Tangi''' – a [[short-form video]] site.<ref name="tangi">{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=January 29, 2020 |title=Google's Area 120 launches Tangi, a short-form video app focused on creativity and DIY |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/01/29/googles-area-120-launches-tangi-a-short-form-video-app-focused-on-creativity-and-diy/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>
* '''AdVR''' – [[advertising|advertisements]] in VR<ref name="advr_tc">{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=June 28, 2017 |title=Google unveils Advr, an experimental Area 120 project for advertising in VR |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/28/google-unveils-advr-an-experimental-area-120-project-for-advertising-in-vr/ |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref>

== Byteboard spinout ==
The Byteboard project was spun out from Google into a separate company in Oct 2021.<ref name="byteboard_spinout">{{Cite news |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=Oct 5, 2021 |title=Technical interview platform Byteboard spins out of Google's Area 120, takes on new funding |work=[[TechCrunch]] |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/05/technical-interview-platform-byteboard-spins-out-of-googles-area-120-takes-on-new-funding/ |access-date=Oct 5, 2021}}</ref> The reason given was that the Byteboard platform used Google employees as human evaluators of candidates for Google competitors, which raised ethical issues.


== References ==
== References ==
Line 28: Line 48:


[[Category:Google]]
[[Category:Google]]

{{google-stub}}

Revision as of 04:16, 21 September 2022

Area 120
Named after100% of time on 20% Projects
FormationMarch 2016[citation needed]
Key people
Bradley Horowitz, Gabor Cselle
Parent organization
Google
Websitearea120.google.com

Area 120 is Google's in-house incubator in which employees work on 20% Project product ideas 100% of the time.[tone][1]

Google's concept of 20% projects has led to many of the company's successes[peacock prose] such as Gmail, AdSense, Google News, and Google Cardboard. The Area 120 division was created by Sundar Pichai in March 2016 and has since spawned over 50 projects.[2][1] The objective for the Area 120 program is to incubate products that "graduate" back to Google, where they can become the next billion-user or billion-dollar-revenue products.[tone][1]

In November 2021, the division was reorganized under a new division called Google Labs (unrelated to the defunct service of the same name) along with Google's AR and VR efforts and Project Starline.[3]

Notable products

The program has funded more than 50 different ideas from Google employees. Notable product experiments which have emerged from Area 120 include:

Byteboard spinout

The Byteboard project was spun out from Google into a separate company in Oct 2021.[16] The reason given was that the Byteboard platform used Google employees as human evaluators of candidates for Google competitors, which raised ethical issues.

References

  1. ^ a b c McCracken, Harry (December 3, 2018). "An exclusive look inside Google's in-house incubator Area 120". Fast Company. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Google Unveils Advr, An Experimental Area 120 Project for Advertising in VR". Customer Experience Magazine. June 30, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Perez, Sarah (November 11, 2021). "Google reorg moves AR, VR, Starline and Area 120 into new 'Labs' team". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  4. ^ Perez, Sarah (June 14, 2021). "Google's AirTable rival, Tables, graduates from beta test to become a Google Cloud product". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  5. ^ Perez, Sarah (March 30, 2021). "Google's Area 120 launches Stack, an app that digitizes personal docs and extracts key information". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  6. ^ Singh, Manish; Kene-Okafor, Tage (February 23, 2021). "Area 120 is beginning to use Google's massive reach to scale HTML5 GameSnacks platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  7. ^ Vincent, James (June 19, 2020). "Google quietly launches an AI-powered Pinterest rival named Keen". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  8. ^ Lardinois, Frederic (July 17, 2019). "Google's Area 120 launches Byteboard to improve technical interviews". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  9. ^ Heater, Brian (March 18, 2021). "Google Area 120's ThreadIt is bite-size video for team collaborations". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  10. ^ Hetting, Claus (September 8, 2021). "Google's new 'Orion WiFi' empowers public venues to make money on Wi-Fi offload". WiFi Now. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  11. ^ Perez, Sarah (July 16, 2020). "Google's latest R&D project is Shoploop, a mobile video shopping platform". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  12. ^ Plautz, Jessica (September 6, 2018). "Easily Find the Best Activities in Top Destinations With This New Tool Out of Google". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  13. ^ Poojary, Lax (October 22, 2019). "Touring Bird lands with Google to plan your perfect trip". The Keyword. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  14. ^ Perez, Sarah (January 29, 2020). "Google's Area 120 launches Tangi, a short-form video app focused on creativity and DIY". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  15. ^ Perez, Sarah (June 28, 2017). "Google unveils Advr, an experimental Area 120 project for advertising in VR". TechCrunch. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  16. ^ Perez, Sarah (October 5, 2021). "Technical interview platform Byteboard spins out of Google's Area 120, takes on new funding". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 5, 2021.

External links

Stub icon

This Google-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Area_120&oldid=1111469479"