The grass is always greener… in the GooglePlex

Isn’t it always better to work for another company then the one you are working for now? The grass is always greener at the other side of the fence isn’t it? Well ironically enough, this is completely true for everybody in the whole world, except for the guys working at the GooglePlex… For myself of course, as my boss sometimes reads my blog, this is not true; I’m very pleased with the job I do ;-).

But the truth must be said, I would be more pleased if we had a swimming pool or a beach volley court. A massage now and then or a visit to the barber once in a while would ease up life. The birds would be singing in the trees, the cows slowly graze the green fields around the complex. Ah life is beautiful.

But would this all make me happier? Will I be more stimulated to create code that is better written (my code is always superbly written ;-))?

I guess I would like the fact that I get all those things but I do think that Google has the same problems every other company has:
The personality of your colleagues won’t be changed by the surroundings.

If your colleague is an idiot, he will stay an idiot, no matter what… A swimming pool won’t change that.

If you work is a 60 minute drive, it will stay a 60 minute drive and sooner or later you will get sick and tired of that drive.

I guess the social life isn’t very stimulated in this way, is it? They make sure you have a nice time at work, so you don’t have to go home at all. What about friends and family? They probably all work at the GooglePlex?

I think that this luxurious lifestyle will of course get you a lot of employees, and this is all just a marketing stunt and one big show off.

But isn’t that the point of it all? I’m jealous, aren’t you? Looking at those pictures, it feels a little bit like imagining you would win the lottery…

There will, one day, be a DEVEXPLEX….