Given the fact that we’d heard a lot about Google’s cool company culture and lavish employee benefits, our trip to Google was one of the most anticipated activities on our SV itinerary. Excitement ran high as we got off at the Googleplex along Amphitheater Parkway and entered building 43, which was the headquarters where the founders supposedly worked. We met Suan, Yew Jin, and Pat -Singaporeans working at Google - and followed them as we toured the Google campus for about an hour. As expected, one of the first things that got everyone excited was the free flow of drinks and food all over the Google campus. Also, we quickly learned that there were 18 different restaurants in the campus. Along the way, we saw massage rooms, mini-kitchens, air hockey tables, scribble boards, inflatable meeting rooms, scooters, a volleyball court, laundry room, and a t-rex skeleton, and many more seemingly random and quirky stuff which Googlers are entitled to for free. Too bad we couldn’t take pictures indoors! Admittedly, the tour was focused more on showcasing some of the cool and quirky projects that Google employees worked on, the recreational facilities that were available for employees, and in particular, the company culture (called Googleyness) rather than entrepreneurship per se, which was something different from the rest of the companies that we visited.

I would say that the highlight of the programme was the post-tour session with Adam Lasnik, who was interestingly called a search evangelist. Adam shared about what Googleyness was all about, which I found very interesting. Some key aspects of Googleyness include: geekiness (!), trust, shared ownership, persuasion, collaboration, openness, and empowerment. I think that the openness and collaborative culture are worth highlighting. There was just so much openness among employees across all positions and departments, and everyone is kept up to date with projects and initiatives through their project database. This also fosters a great sense of shared ownership where employees are encouraged to work on projects that are not assigned to them or their team. One of the most remarkable things I remember from Adam’s talk was that even the chefs at Google can contribute ideas and suggestions about projects!

Another notable aspect of Googleyness was the company’s tolerance of failure. They believe that “If you don’t fail, you’re not thinking big enough.” They also think that if you meet all the goals you have set for yourself (objective key results),  you weren’t reaching. Employees aren’t fired, demoted, or shamed because they fail; rather, they are given the opportunity to learn from failure and grow in wisdom and humility.

It was interesting to note how Googleyness often results in chaos and confusion, uncertainty, overlaps and inefficiencies, and criticisms from outsiders, but all these issues and risks were considered to be minor compared to the creativity, fun, and innovativeness that result directly from the wackiness of Google culture. It’s probably not going to work for any other company, but it was nonetheless an insightful look at one of Silicon Valley’s most celebrated companies.

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