Fake Steve Jobs talking to "Fake Eric Schmidt" of Google:

Eric Schmidt:

"I talked to him last night and he's like, Dude, we give these idiots free lobster tails for lunch; we do their laundry and cut their hair; we've got pony rides on Tuesday afternoons."

Fake Steve:

"You a big deal of only hiring these super-high-IQ kiddies and the fact is that most of them truly are smart, but then you put them into this horribly dull and easy drone work on AdWords and AdSense and they're all bored to tears and totally disappointed because they really really really thought they were going to do something meaningful with their lives and now they're just worker bees -- pampered worker bees, sure, but still -- and maybe they should have taken that offer from McKinsey but they really thought Google was going to be so cool and blah blah blah."

So this makes perfect sense.

Fake Steve Jobs talking to "Fake Eric Schmidt" of Google:

Eric Schmidt:
"I talked to him last night and he's like, Dude, we give these idiots free lobster tails for lunch; we do their laundry and cut their hair; we've got pony rides on Tuesday afternoons."

Fake Steve:
"You a big deal of only hiring these super-high-IQ kiddies and the fact is that most of them truly are smart, but then you put them into this horribly dull and easy drone work on AdWords and AdSense and they're all bored to tears and totally disappointed because they really really really thought they were going to do something meaningful with their lives and now they're just worker bees -- pampered worker bees, sure, but still -- and maybe they should have taken that offer from McKinsey but they really thought Google was going to be so cool and blah blah blah."

So this makes perfect sense.

We almost got a slide from one floor to another when I was at Nickelodeon but they nixed it at the last moment. Looks fun.

This also makes me want a gondola in my house. Maybe when I remodel...

I've always wanted to work for GOOGLE.

One day... I know one day...

freakin amazing... my goal is to work in a place like this... im gonna print out some of these pictures so i can look at them while im sobbing in my white/grey office shithole... i dont even have a facking cubicle.

Didn't we do this already a couple months ago?

Picture 12 -- holy shit!

I'll move to Switzerland if I could get a job with Google.

Such a smart concept. Seriously, companies that treat their employees like this make it clear why they rose to the top. Another one that does this is Nike. Their employees spend their free time playing sport.

Dosn't look like a lot of work is going on...

In the long run, those who think "outside of the box" end up living inside one. I'll stick to the more traditional means of doing business...

They're playing Xbox360 Dashboard Hero.

@DucatiGuy: Any actual context or examples you wanna throw in there?

@DucatiGuy:
Yea. Because I'm sure Google execs live in shithouses.

@Jesustron: Good point sir. how the hell did they do that?

Champagne wishes and caviar dreams.

Our Company only allows us to play all the console that is available, and its seems fun... for Gamers, not for the majority here.. I envy that place.

@Jesustron: Ha. That's the first thing I noticed.

This is neat and all, but a way over the top. I think it would grow old and annoying to actually work in this place. "Can I get an Aeron for f*ck sake? This rowboat futon thing is really uncomfortable."

Umm..the "bookshelf wallpaper" is kinda cheesy though.

Over the top and screams 'look how cool it is to work here!'.

The psychology involved here is gradescool: supposedly immersing people in interesting and eye catching environments will allow them to be more creative and therefore more productive.

In the end, while it's more interesting than the common office, people working there will end up ignoring it all.

picture 20: Rocking out to some XBOX360 menu. Look closer, you can almost make out their gamertag, and their pathetic gamerscore.

There are far too many themed privacy cubicles. It's obvious they're dealing in black market diamonds and/or drugs.

@halfshafter: could be sir. good point!

@CampSteve: What, the green slime dripping off the front of the building wasn't enough? :)

I Would get soooo much done while working there.... *Cough*Not*cough* Obviously productivity is not a priority in Swizerland

If I was a Google shareholder, I would not be happy with the ridiculous expenditures to make the office resemble disneyland. My place has a pool table and free spring water and everybody seems to be happy with their desks and chairs.

Well f*@*! That's all I have to say. :(((

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I want a slide!!!!

"awe-inspiringly amazing" ... "an exercise in lateral-thinking"
Kit, it sounds like you're having a Googlegasm.

Is picture 8 a sex chair?

at my company we have an all black, white or cream dess code. I am a rebel. I wear colors. There! my very own little Google microcosmos! :-)

I wouldn't be able to stand this. I want to work in an office, not a preschool funhouse.

So, we see where they play. Now, where the hell do they WORK?

Anybody else catch the pretend guitar hero playing?

Yeah, I'm thinking this would get really old really fast.

I mean, seriously, how many adults are going to use the slide after the first week? That's just a pain in the ass.

It's cool when companies treat their employees well. Good food, that's awesome. Providing some games or something for entertainment on breaks, that's awesome too.

But this is way, way overboard. At some point, these people do actually need to sit at a desk and do something boring. That's what work is. Covering the walls with stripes and neon and bright pillows doesn't make it less boring.

Treating your employees well shouldn't mean treating them like seventh graders at Chuck E Cheese. You don't need sensory overload, just make it a comfortable work environment with some nice perks. Save the Gondalas for Disneyworld.

@KurticusMaximus: I would use the fire pole every day, because they are incredibly awesome.

WOAH! I live in Zuirch, and about 3 weeks ago, a guy from Google came and talked to us about it. He had all the exact pics, and showed it to us...

Gizmodo's writers are peds =[

Why don't my comments work :S?

@DucatiGuy: Uhhh yeah, because Google is a really unsuccessful company and it would totally suck to work there.

yeah creativity comes from within not living in some nuthouse. I would go crazy working there. imagine being in a hurry...take the gondola! or in a bad mood...neon lights in your face. Kind of reminds of the dorms. I appreciated all the effort to make the place fun..but after a week I just wanted to do my thing without interfloor contests or sushi night or theme day.

This is why their stock price has tanked recently and will continue to do so further. 16k people are not necessary for search and their smattering of moderately-ok beta products. Continuing to pour money into stupid shit will seal their fate in the next decade.

@Trowble (XBL/PSN):

That's the only reason you can think of to want to move to Zurich?!

@Trowble (XBL/PSN): you'd move to switzerland when getting a work permit.

I wonder if there actually are fairly sound economics behind this. How much less can Google pay in terms of salaries and/or recruitment spending because of the the great reputation they get for having for this kind of workplace?

I hate to say this, but as a dot com SF witness? This seems like a bunch of pictures snapped back in '98-'99. It's like when everyone wanted to invest in something they knew nothing about and then realized they were being had: Stupid people with lots of dough throwing it at the flaming bandwagon flying off a cliff.

EXCEPT!

Google actually provides services, unlike most bogus, extinct dot coms.

BUT!

They offer no service that justifies their disgusting, hyped stock market prices & childish interior design. Sorry, but if you want loyal shareholders, it might be better to show people working, not jacking off to guitar hero in a overgrown playground.

Would have been a great symbol if they had chosen Geneva, where the Web was born and where the people speak French (and don't think Switzerland speaks exclusively German...) ;)

Just show me more of the cafeteria. The only time I want to treat myself and be selfish at work is during lunch. You can cut out the slide and the video games from the budget as long as you keep great food at hand.

Sort of looks like an adult day care center. The fuck-pods are cool though...

@Jesustron:

Hehe, I was wondering if anyone noticed that. Guess those "high IQ Google kids" aren't so smart afterall, huh??

@lafond66: Or slave labor. Take your pick.