In truth, the cost of an idea at Google is $0. There is really no way to pitch an idea if you have a goal of retaining some sense of ownership over it. Companies like this will generally reject all incoming ideas in order to retain the patents on their own.
However, if you are willing to give up ownership of the idea, you can probably track down a product manager at Google to chat with or simply submit your proposal or idea here. Remember, to protect itself from future lawsuits, they won’t respond if you won’t give up ownership of the idea.
Your best bet would either be to:
- Get a job at Google or
- Build something that is close to what you envisage and hope they notice it.
Get a job at Google
Just get a job there, and start working on your product idea as a 20% project, assuming you at least tell your team lead or boss what you are up to. To get a job at Google, you can apply through Google Careers. The site lists down jobs according to industry in different geographies.
Also, if you know someone working at Google, you can ask him/her to submit your resume. A Google staff needs to submit a questionnaire on why you’re a good fit for the role, adding more credibility to your profile.
Once you apply, you will go through 2-3 stages of interview rounds depending on the role. It involves interviewing with HR, followed by the team manager, and subsequent follow up round with team lead.
Start a company and become successful
Generally, Google does not follow up on other people’s ideas. So your best bet is to start a company, become successful at it, and if they are interested, they will buy you out.
You can start by building a company with your idea and sell the company to Google once you have a working prototype. Implementation and traction is key here. You need to show that there is a demand on the market for your idea/product/service. Only after, will you get a chance.
There are companies that advertise for product ideas but most of them are scams looking to use your patent as part of a patent portfolio and extort money out of people. They are not interested in actually turning your ideas into products, only into money.
In summary, it’s best not to discuss your idea with Google at all. But if the idea is just to integrate some products, then there’s no reason to retain ownership over it.
We hope this article was helpful. Share your thoughts!
