Where Creativity Flows: Touring the Googleplex

Over the past decade, Google has arguably been the most transformative entity in the world of technology. The worldwide leaders in online search, Google has revolutionized the way that college students function, from blogging to YouTube. Personally, I use Google Maps, Google Docs, Google Desktop, and GMail every day. And so when I had the opportunity to take a tour of the Mountain View, Calif., campus over fall break, I jumped at the chance.

The 30-acre “Googleplex”—roughly the same size as Columbia’s campus—is built to be a hotbed of innovation. Employees walk through the halls, typing as they go, while the walls are plastered with constantly-changing whiteboards. Apparently, the layout has worked—on the day that I set foot there, Google announced its plans for a mobile phone software platform.

It is, in many ways, a surreal place. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the company’s founders, occasionally decide that the complex needs something, so scattered about the grounds are things like a dinosaur’s skeleton and a rock-climbing treadmill. (Might make a nice addition to Dodge...)

But at its most basic level, the campus serves as a showcase of the company itself. The company’s first major breakthrough was a search engine, so it’s fitting that when entering most of the buildings on campus, visitors see a scrolling (child-friendly) list of Google searches being conducted in real-time around the world. Monitors provide a density map with a visual representation of locations where Google queries are originating. Various Google logos, done in oil paints, are hung like fine art from the walls. Hanging from the rafters of Building 43 is a replica of Virgin Galactic’s spaceship, winner of the Ansari X Prize to design a commercial extra-planetary transport which Google is funding. (A sign on the back helpfully notes, “Attention Googlers: Please do NOT launch.”)

For Googlers, the company is more than a brand—it’s a way of life. Employees pride themselves on the fast-paced feel of innovation and energy that pervades the halls and makes the Internet heavyweight feel like a startup. Googlers don’t work at “cubicles”—they work in pods, four-person sectors each with their own theme. The buildings are strewn with exercise balls for sitting and tiki torches for... what the hell are tiki torches for, anyway? Spread across the campus are volleyball courts, gyms, and other athletic facilities for the Googlers. A steady flow of speakers, from John McCain and Michael Bloomberg to Rob Thomas and, on the day I was there, Dean Martin, make their way to the Google stage. To keep coders going through the long hours, Larry and Sergey mandate that no employee ever sit more than 100 feet from free food, so there are cafes and mini-kitchens around every bend. These are just a few examples of the campus’ Googley feel.

Google’s complex also keeps an eye on sustainability. Larry and Sergey provide bikes for Googlers to ride around the campus. All of the buildings are environmentally-friendly, with affixed solar panels to cut down on emissions and energy use. To promote clean commutes, the company offers a dozen shuttle-service pick-up stations throughout San Francisco. There, well-accoutred buses, complete with comfortable leather seats, tables, and Wi-Fi, whisk Googlers to Mountain View, negating the need for a car while providing an opportunity for a productive commute. For those who prefer self-propelled transportation, Google gives money to employees’ favorite charities when they walk, run, or bike to work.

For a guy who has spent the last three years in Manhattan, the West Coast vibe of the Googleplex, situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, made me feel very out of place. (It would be interesting to see how, if at all, the company’s Chelsea headquarters, which opened on Eighth Avenue last year, reflect the Googley sentiment.) And at some point, the repetition of Google’s blue, yellow, red, and green color scheme splashed all across the Mountain View campus begins to induce headaches.

But in touring the facility, it’s impossible to walk away without feeling that something important is going on.

Josh Hirschland can be reached at josh.hirschland@columbiaspectator.com.