infodatos Chapter 184 Headquarters Relocation
Chapter 184 Headquarters Relocation
Chapter 184 Headquarters Relocation
June 10, 1997, was just an ordinary day on the calendar for most ordinary people.
The sun shone as usual over the horizon of Mountain View, California, the streets were bustling with traffic, and the rich aroma of coffee wafted from the cafes—everything was running at its usual pace.
But for Google, an internet company in a period of rapid growth, this day was given a completely different meaning. It was like a brand new medal, engraved in Google's development history, and became an important milestone that all employees should remember.
On this day, Google employees were finally able to leave behind their long-standing homelessness and officially move into their company's new headquarters.
Although the environment of the new headquarters is still somewhat desolate, with large areas of open space yet to be greened and the bare land looking rather monotonous under the sun.
Most office buildings are still in the final stages of construction, and only part of the interior decoration has been completed, but none of this has affected the official opening of the Google campus.
The remaining work that needs to be completed, such as some interior decoration of the office building and detailed paving of the park environment, is concentrated in areas that will not affect employees' daily work. Employees can carry out their work normally in the completed areas.
In fact, to ensure the smooth progress of the relocation, some key office equipment had already been moved into the new headquarters several days ago.
So today, the main task for employees is to pack up their personal belongings, move their personal items from the old office to the new workstation, and familiarize themselves with the layout and environment of the new company.
In Google Search’s new temporary office, sunlight streams through the glass windows onto the desks, illuminating the brand-new computer equipment.
Kendine, an engineer who had recently joined Google, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise when he saw the new computer on his desk, "This is so extravagant! A new computer for a new environment, and those old office computers were bought less than a year ago? Are they just going to throw them away?"
His voice was full of disbelief; he had never seen a company spend so much money to replace a computer that had been used for less than a year.
Puyol, a colleague who was tidying up his desk, rolled his eyes at Kendin after hearing his words. As he neatly put the files into the drawer, he explained, "What are you thinking about, Kendin? Those are for the new employees."
"A new employee?" Kendine paused, puzzled. He pointed to himself and said, bewildered, "I haven't received any notification about this. Aren't I a new employee?"
In his view, he had only joined Google a month ago and should be considered a new employee.
Puyol placed his family photo frame, which he always carried with him, on a suitable spot on his desk. The family members in the photo were all smiling, adding a touch of warmth to the brand-new office space.
He turned to Kendin and patiently explained, "I'm talking about those new colleagues who were hired recently and previously worked under a flexible work schedule."
After listening, Kendall suddenly realized that the fact that the company had recently hired a large number of new employees but was struggling to find office space and had to allow them to work flexibly from home or on campus was not a secret within the company.
He couldn't help but think to himself that if a typical company adopted this approach, it would be impossible to retain talent.
What kind of crappy company are you? You don't even have an office space.
But this is Google, the leader in the internet industry, the benchmark and symbol of the industry.
With its leading technology, innovative ideas, and broad development prospects, Google enjoys a high reputation and appeal in the industry.
Therefore, even though some new employees are currently unable to work in a fixed office space, it still cannot stop outstanding students from applying.
Everyone aspires to join Google, realize their career aspirations, and grow alongside top talents in the industry.
"I heard that the new director of the group's human resources department has already led a team to various universities. Is Google going to expand its recruitment?" Kendine's tone was filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Puyol nodded. He had a lot of connections in the company and was relatively well-informed. He looked at Kendin and said with certainty, "That's right. It's not just campus recruitment. The company has also placed orders with major headhunting firms and is encouraging employees to make internal referrals."
Google's expansion plan is quite large. In order to attract more outstanding talents, it has adopted a multi-channel recruitment approach, including campus recruitment, headhunting recruitment, and internal employee referrals, in an effort to recruit elites from all walks of life in the industry.
"Really?" Kendine's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief. He couldn't believe that someone could be hired by the company through employee referrals.
In his understanding, most companies recruit through formal recruitment channels. He didn't know if internal employee referrals were possible, but he had never heard of them.
"Of course it's true. I recommended a guy I often dine with; he works for Netscape next door," Puyol said with a smile, his tone tinged with pride.
Netscape, a Google client and one of the browser giants that also desperately wants Google to die, is headquartered in Mountain View.
Kendine was completely stunned; he hadn't expected it to be like this.
In an instant, his friends from Carnegie Mellon University flashed into his mind.
Those friends are all very technically skilled and definitely meet Google's hiring standards. If we could bring them to work at Google, wouldn't it be great to reunite with old friends?
When Google came to Carnegie Mellon University to recruit, Kendrick and his friends all applied enthusiastically, as they were all eager to join Google.
However, due to the limited number of positions available at Google, only Kendrick was fortunate enough to be hired, while his friends unfortunately missed the opportunity.
Why are Google jobs so sought after right now? Although Carnegie Mellon University's computer science department enjoys a prestigious reputation throughout the United States and even the world, and is undoubtedly one of the top universities, there are still subtle differences in quality among them.
Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, California Institute of Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University are arguably the five earliest institutions in the United States to develop computer science, and they are currently among the top five universities for computer science programs.
Of these five universities, Stanford University and MIT have the strongest computer science programs and are in the top tier.
The remaining three universities—UC Berkeley, Caltech, and Carnegie Mellon University—are actually quite similar in terms of computer science strength. However, UC Berkeley and Caltech have the geographical advantage of being located in California, giving them a home advantage.
When recruiting employees, Google often prioritizes talent from Stanford University and MIT, as graduates from these two universities are highly regarded at Google.
We will consider graduates from UC Berkeley and Caltech, given their geographical proximity, which makes recruitment and collaboration more convenient.
Finally, outstanding employees are selected from Carnegie Mellon University. It is precisely because of this recruitment order that Kendrick's friends were unable to successfully enter Google.
The idea of reuniting with old friends took root in Kendine's heart like a seed, quickly sprouting and becoming impossible to suppress.
However, he was also a little worried that if he recommended a friend, but the friend failed the interview or was not hired for various reasons, wouldn't that make the friend's trip go to waste?
"Puyol, how do I make the recommendation? What's the selection process?"
Puyol could tell from Kendin's eagerness that he wanted to recommend his friend, a common occurrence in the company.
Just as brothers fight side by side and fathers and sons go to war together, so too should we act in the workplace.
Working with familiar people can not only improve work efficiency, but also provide mutual support.
Moreover, if the person you recommend does well in the company, this can become your network of contacts, which will be helpful for your future career development.
Puyol looked at Kendin and asked with a smile, "The person you're recommending, like you, is also a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University?"
"That's right." Kendine nodded vigorously.
"Then just tell the people in the HR department. As long as their technical skills are similar to yours, there won't be any problems," Puyol said casually.
Google places great importance on the technical skills of its employees, especially for engineering positions, where technical proficiency is a key criterion for evaluating employee qualifications.
Since Kendrick was able to pass Google's recruitment assessment, it means that his technical skills meet the company's requirements. Therefore, as long as the friends he recommends have similar technical skills, their chances of passing the assessment are practically guaranteed.
"Moreover, I've also heard that they're hiring another 400 engineers this time, which is quite a lot," Puyol added, further allaying Kendin's concerns.
A recruitment drive of 400 people is a significant expansion for Google, meaning there are more opportunities for outstanding talent. If Kendine's friends can seize this opportunity, they will basically be able to get a job.
After listening to Puyol's words, Kendin put down what he was organizing without saying a word, quickly walked to the corner of the office, and made a phone call.
Meanwhile, at the Gmail office, although employees have moved into a new environment and no longer have to work crammed together in the old building, some employees still feel that the new environment is not as good as the old office conditions.
"What is it?" Nelson tapped the metal wall behind him with his finger, making a dull thud.
He frowned and muttered under his breath, "This is too rudimentary! It's just a converted shipping container, isn't it?"
Nelson is right. In order to keep up with the construction schedule and also to make it easier to dismantle in the future, some of Google's temporary office space was indeed converted from shipping containers.
The staff opened up the sides of several shipping containers to connect the interior space into a whole, and then neatly stacked the desks in front of them, forming a long row.
Looking from one end of the office to the other, the endless rows of desks create a unique and spectacular sight.
However, such an office environment also has obvious shortcomings. Behind each person's office chair is a narrow aisle, with almost no extra private space.
"Hang in there. I heard from the engineering department that those office buildings under construction will be completed in a little over a month, and at the latest, it won't be more than three months before we can move in," William, sitting next to Nelson, comforted him while tidying up the documents on the table.
Americans are not incapable of accepting temporary difficulties and grievances, but only if they see hope for the future and the waiting time is not too long.
Just like Google today, it has a promising future, its business is constantly expanding, its market share is continuously growing, and it provides its employees with highly competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits.
In addition to basic salary, there are generous bonuses and various subsidies.
Moreover, the new office building is under construction and will be ready for occupancy soon.
The absence of any one of these conditions could lead to employee dissatisfaction, causing them to leave in search of better job opportunities.
"Hey, Nelson, William, you two hurry up, aren't you done yet?"
Nelson wanted to say a few more words to vent his dissatisfaction when a young man suddenly ran in, panting and with an excited smile on his face.
This young man is none other than Aug Perez, the youngest member of their group. He is lively, cheerful, and full of curiosity about new things.
"Ogg, what's all the fuss about? Are you happy working in this kind of environment?" Nelson was clearly still upset about his work environment. He looked up at Aug, his tone tinged with complaint.
In his view, there was nothing exciting about such a rudimentary container office environment.
"You don't know anything!" Aug retorted without any politeness. He was not affected by Nelson's negative emotions at all and continued to say excitedly, "I just went to the recreation center in the park. The pool there is so creative. It's the best pool I've ever seen."
As Aug spoke, he gestured with his hands, trying to recreate the pool he had seen as vividly as possible. "That pool was actually designed in a circular shape, encircling the entire office building. There was also a spa area and Thai massage services, all of which were free."
After Aug finished speaking, he turned to Nelson and said, "I also heard that the search department and our mailbox department are going to have a swimming relay race in a little while. Isn't swimming your strong suit? You can show off your skills in the race and let those people in the search department see how powerful our mailbox department is. Let's teach them a lesson."
Google has completed its business split. In name, the search engine division and the Gmail division have become two independent companies, each with its own operating system and management team. However, people still tend to refer to them as departments.
Nelson's eyes lit up; at least many of the attractions in this entertainment center were definitely not available in the small courtyard.
"Let's go! Today we'll show those guys what we're made of and crush them!" Nelson exclaimed with boundless pride.
Born into a family of swimmers, when it comes to swimming, he's never been afraid of any of these amateur swimmers.