Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Day 4: Google and Stanford

I had the privilege of being a visitor of the Google headquarters in Silicone Valley. My host, Aric, had a friend who works there. I was utterly astounded. Google is quite possibly the greatest place to work...ever. There are 18 cafeterias, all with very good food. And the food is free. And you can eat as much as you want. Whenever you want. It's that amazing. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. I was there at 12 pm and there were people working out at the campus gym (for free), eating (for free) or playing volleyball or pool (for free). Need a drink? Just pick one out from anywhere.


In other words, Google tailors to their employees. They give you everything you need to help make you productive, which includes feeding you healthy food and allowing you to rest and take breaks at your discretion. Of course in return, they trust you to perform at your best. The employees all looked very young, mostly in their 20s or 30s. Imagine the freedom of a college campus, except you get paid well, get free meals everyday and free gym and activities memberships. Also, the sales department has beautiful women who dress well. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Thanks Garrett for hosting the tour!

Nearby Google was the great Stanford University. I spent a great amount of time exploring the campus. It had many small fountains, large open Quads and a beautiful chapel. The campus was stunning. I really enjoyed the look of the buildings.

During the evening I went to a place called SkyHigh with some friends, which basically consists of a bunch of trampolines. We can jump, do tricks or play dodgeball. I don't think I worked so hard in my entire life. Being exhausted led us to a delicious Korean restaurant. Tomorrow is another day. Until then.

2 comments:

Aric said...

Post larger photos!

ECL said...

Google is amazing; the colored Umbrellas look cool too. Can't wait to see the new google earth!!

We had a big thunder and rain storm roll by last night, and it's still cloudy. Weird since just hours earlier I was working outside spraying some work. Weird Seattle!!!