Yesterday Google unveiled its posh New York offices to the press, providing a tour of its vast loft-like space replete with kitchens stocked with free food, a game room, privacy booths for making personal calls and glass offices with floor-to-ceiling windows. The Manhattan office serves as the company’s North American sales headquarters, and is the only location outside of corporate headquarters in Mountain View, California, where salespeople and engineers co-exist.
Google kept mum on its exact plans for future products, but did mention that we should expect new offerings in print and audio ads from the Web advertising giant. Sales VP Tim Armstrong also mentioned that “hundreds” of salespeople are housed here (Google doesn’t like to reveal the exact number of its sales personnel, but more than 500 people currently work in the New York office) and engineering director Craig Nevill-Manning didn’t deny that the company was working to expand free Wi-Fi outside of midtown Manhattan’s Bryant Park.
Throughout the press tour, I was struck by how pervasive the Google corporate culture is—that being “Googley” apparently isn’t just corporate-speak. Brightly colored, erogomonic balls that are indicative of the Google brand were everywhere, and I was almost run over several times by employees whizzing by on Razor scooters. Several gleaming kitchens serve Googlers free breakfast, lunch and dinner. The game room is an informal meeting area. Engineering director Marcus Mitchell mentioned that sales/engineering socials would occur here from time to time to encourage commingling.
What was also implied in the impressive digs, however, was that as much as Google gives to its employees, it also expects back. Could providing food and entertainment, for instance, be a way to keep employees at work ‘round the clock? Or would any Googler worth his salt put in those hours anyway—thus making free meals simply an improvement over late-night pizza delivery?
Whatever the implications, Google still espouses its “Don’t Be Evil” motto, and part of that appears to be providing an impressive work environment. I’m sure that having the new space won’t hurt client relations, either. Aside from the curiosity I’m sure prospects have for wanting to see Google’s offices, Armstrong mentioned that during the company’s early days in New York customer meetings occurred at Starbucks, at a special table that the staff learned to set aside for him. Now, Armstrong and his team have over 100 meeting places to choose from (including the phone booths, large meeting rooms, and “huddle rooms”). Not too shabby for a company that started in the garage of a Silicon Valley home (which the company recently purchased as a reminder of its humble beginnings.)
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