You probably won’t launch an entire product line out of your own sheer will, but you can totally push for smaller scale work. Push for creating a tool to improve your team’s processes, or push for a few feature within an existing product. Focus less on the “entrepreneur” aspect and more on the “build fun and autonomy into your work” aspect. If you’re trusted and respected within your organization, you’ll probably be able to push through ever-larger projects (assuming they’re not net-negative). This probably isn’t a working strategy if you’re within your first year, but if you’re a respected senior engineer who wants to scratch an itch, you’ll probably have much more success.

Or, if you work at Google, push for a new chat app. It’ll probably be approved.

I've started something new at every company I've worked for, except the startup, which was already a new thing.

My current employer, Google, seems particularly amenable to internal entrepreneurship. After all, they're essentially paying you not to create new external businesses.

Right, most companies just want you cranking out the code their marketing department has determined as necessary, they don’t care if you grow, prosper, are happy, or any of those things.

That's how it goes at mine. I regularly whine about the amount of waste in there.. insane. I was more productive, creative and happier when jobless. In group you have to navigate all the hurdles, egos, fears around .. Makes me wonder how Xerox PARC managed to exist all (beyond the fact that they had a lot of money of course)