Noogler Week

Originally posted to Google+ on Aug 16, 2014

Whew! What a week! I started at Google on Monday and it's been like a whirlwind since then! New Googlers, or Nooglers, go through an orientation process involving numerous classes spread over the first two weeks. In these classes, Nooglers are introduced to Google's culture/workplace, various businesses, benefits, etc. Between all the classes, adjusting to a new (and for me, very different) environment and work hours, and trying to absorb the large volume of information thrown at me, my first week was fairly intense, but also highly stimulating and fun. The culture at Google is really cool - it really feels like an awesome and unique place to work.

From a size standpoint, Google is and feels WAY larger than TiVo. It felt like the number of Nooglers in my Noogler class was about equal to the number of people at TiVo. The sheer number of people is particularly evident during dinner time at one of the more (most?) popular cafeterias on campus. It's definitely a very different feel from TiVo.

Not only is the company bigger, but my team is quite a bit larger too. Despite my fairly packed schedule of classes, I did get a chance to meet with most of my team and everyone seems really cool. There are definitely some smart and talented people and I'm looking forward to working with them to design some great products!

Of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the free food. Well, in one word, the food is AMAZING. Not only is there good variety, but for the most part, the food is really healthy. For a healthy eater like myself, it is going to be quite easy to maintain a clean diet here. The only thing I'll need to be careful of is the quantity. Even with healthy organic food, gorging is not a good thing.

I LOVE my new commute - 7-8 minutes on my new beach cruiser bike! And I don't even have to take any busy roads. I just hop on the Permanente Creek Trail, a paved and mostly flat trail, which spits me out right at Google.

Google has a TGIF every Thursday (used to be every Friday, but since a lot of people couldn't make it on Fridays, they changed it to Thursdays) where the founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as well as some other execs, are present and answer questions from employees. They have a system where employees post questions online and people can vote as to which ones they want answered. That is so awesome! It's a great example of the unique Google culture and how different the company is from others. How many CEOs would do that every week?

During the first part of the TGIF, the Nooglers are asked to stand up donning their Noogler caps and shirts. Here's my Noogler selfie, captured for posterity's sake. Oh, and this TGIF was particularly memorable because Larry and Sergey got dunked with ice as part of the viral ice bucket challenge to raise awareness of ALS. I took a video but just want to check first with HR that it's OK to post. In the meantime, here's a link to someone else's recorded video: Larry and Sergey get dunked with ice