4 ms·

I was interviewing for an internship over the phone and couldn't find any sponsored tours. I did just walk on to their campus and look around(very cool place),

I was interviewing for an internship over the phone and couldn't find any sponsored tours. I did just walk on to their campus and look around(very cool place), but there didn't seem to be anything official :(

jholman 13y ago
There isn't anything official. It's not _incredibly_ surprising, I think, that a workplace doesn't have a tourism programme. ;) If no Googler volunteers to give you a tour, no one's giving you a tour. Google is an amazing place to work. But when loved ones visit, I'm not actually sure what there is to _show_, you know? I mean, there are amusing sculptures (google "stan the tyrannosaurus") and volleyball courts, but we all know that's not amazing. There are great free cafeterias, and snacks in the MKs and on-site laundry and a dozen gyms and .... but come on, now that I've told you that, how much extra value do you get from seeing the gym? Whee, brightly-coloured bikes! And I can't show anyone the awesome stuff we work on, because it's confidential and besides how would my parents (or whoever) understand why it's awesome, beyond what everybody already knows about Google? tl;dr: I haven't figured out how to give good tour. Thought at least when guests come I feed them well, on the company dime.
- dschobel 13y ago
  Don't under-estimate the value of spotting CS legends (Norvig, Thrun, all of the old Bell Labs guys, etc) wandering around. I was massively impressed when I visited.
  - lawnchair_larry 13y ago
    But that's where they work, it's not a zoo.
    - petercooper 13y ago
      "Don't feed the Bell Labs guys."
      - lifeisstillgood 13y ago
        Do they bite?
        petercooper 13y ago
        So it's sed, but you'll have to C, man.
        lifeisstillgood 13y ago
        A curl I knew name of Alice wanted to know. I said ALGOL2 in case I could Ada. It was quite an Eiffel, but then a dog REXX, bit me, so I FORT,RAN home #ish. You could not make me return, not for Ruby or Perls could she Lua me back there.
        petercooper 13y ago
        Bravo!
- timhaines 13y ago
  When I visited, the Android statues were cool, the conference bikes were unique, and the size of the campus (coming from NZ where 100 people is a big business) was mind blowing. Plus, it's Google! It had lost it's sparkle by the third visit, but just being there is a novelty the first time.
- inovator 13y ago
  Can I park at one of those visitor parking and tour around GooglePlex? Do they have any problem with random tourist on their campus?
- cloudwizard 13y ago
  I was impressed by Spaceship one hanging in the lobby.

jholman 13y ago

There isn't anything official. It's not _incredibly_ surprising, I think, that a workplace doesn't have a tourism programme. ;) If no Googler volunteers to give you a tour, no one's giving you a tour. Google is an amazing place to work. But when loved ones visit, I'm not actually sure what there is to _show_, you know? I mean, there are amusing sculptures (google "stan the tyrannosaurus") and volleyball courts, but we all know that's not amazing. There are great free cafeterias, and snacks in the MKs and on-site laundry and a dozen gyms and .... but come on, now that I've told you that, how much extra value do you get from seeing the gym? Whee, brightly-coloured bikes! And I can't show anyone the awesome stuff we work on, because it's confidential and besides how would my parents (or whoever) understand why it's awesome, beyond what everybody already knows about Google? tl;dr: I haven't figured out how to give good tour. Thought at least when guests come I feed them well, on the company dime.

dschobel 13y ago
Don't under-estimate the value of spotting CS legends (Norvig, Thrun, all of the old Bell Labs guys, etc) wandering around. I was massively impressed when I visited.
- lawnchair_larry 13y ago
  But that's where they work, it's not a zoo.
  - petercooper 13y ago
    "Don't feed the Bell Labs guys."
    - lifeisstillgood 13y ago
      Do they bite?
      - petercooper 13y ago
        So it's sed, but you'll have to C, man.
        lifeisstillgood 13y ago
        A curl I knew name of Alice wanted to know. I said ALGOL2 in case I could Ada. It was quite an Eiffel, but then a dog REXX, bit me, so I FORT,RAN home #ish. You could not make me return, not for Ruby or Perls could she Lua me back there.
        petercooper 13y ago
        Bravo!
timhaines 13y ago
When I visited, the Android statues were cool, the conference bikes were unique, and the size of the campus (coming from NZ where 100 people is a big business) was mind blowing. Plus, it's Google! It had lost it's sparkle by the third visit, but just being there is a novelty the first time.
inovator 13y ago
Can I park at one of those visitor parking and tour around GooglePlex? Do they have any problem with random tourist on their campus?
cloudwizard 13y ago
I was impressed by Spaceship one hanging in the lobby.