TOUR: Inside the Googleplex, Mountain View, California

With the release of statistics today showing that Google continue to capture market share in the US search market (up from 63.92 percent one year ago to 69.17 percent in June), I thought it was a good time to write about my recent trip to Google HQ in Mountain View, about an hour out of San Francisco.

I wasn't there for long, but did pick up some bits of information which I thought were interesting.

Firstly, when you're at Google, you feel like you're on a university canvas. But a private university, with lots and lots of cash. While the campus itself isn't 'shmick' (for instance, there's no grand foyer nor any marble desks to greet visitors) there is an air of expense and quality to it. But the quality seems to stem from the company's ethos, and all the staff that walk around smiling. It's also obvious in the appreciation Google holds for the environment. For instance, the stepped benches in the internal foyer (once you're past the 'check-in' area) are made from recycled Amazonian wood. The lighting too is both energy efficient, but designed to be as natural as possible. And paired with the mostly glass walls, and roof, the foyer feels airy and open.

Above the stepped bench, there's a 10 meter long whiteboard filled with doodles, lines and arrows, and seemingly random bits of text. According to my host, Elaine Filadelfo, a PR exec with Google, these drawings are generated over many months and grow organically, as staff take in what others have added and contribute to it themselves. The end result is this dynamic flow of ideas, and communication within the company.

Above the stairs you also notice a replica of the Space Ship One, the first private spacecraft capable of carrying people to 100kms above the earth's surface. According to Elaine, to get SpaceShipOne into the lobby, Google had to rip the wall off the building. No expense spared. Remember, this is the company whose founders fly around in a private 747 decked out with all the comforts of home ... no Learjets here please (far too cramped.)

Upstairs we wandered through the corridors - it's the normal maze you'd find in any office, but each cubicle housed around three or four staff, mainly engineers who were pecking away at what ever they were doing. Every so often the cubicles broke up in to a central meeting area - some filled with kitchenettes and stocked to the brim with drinks fridges, coffee machines, bowls of fruit, and other various snacks - all free to all Google employees. These areas also create informal meeting areas - an idea Google seems to be big on. If there's no couch or chairs for staff to sit on then you'll find them playing snooker or ping pong near by. Honestly, if Google can make this much cash and still let staff play ping pong at work and sit on beanbags, why can't other employers offer the same? (Do they not realise that ordinary employees have timeout too... they just do it in a browser window that can be easily hidden!)

Next, we visited a few of the 17 cafeterias in the building - each, obviously, with a different theme. One cafe, nicknamed '150' only uses produce sourced within a 150 mile radius of Mountain View. The cafes are open Monday to Friday (and some on Saturday too), and provide free breakfast, lunch and dinner to the Googlers.

In the main eating area, Elaine told me that every Friday, one of the founders or Eric Schmidt talk to staff - they'll discuss anything that happened during the week, from product launches to issues. Once they've finished talking the floor opens to staff, who can and do ask questions of the executives. They call it TGIF, and it's the one regular time a week that Google provides its staff with beer and wine.

If you're feeling a bit run down at Google you can also visit the company doctor or get a massage. And when you feel better again, you can go to the gym, a space filled with the latest equipment, and far larger than any I've ever seen in Australia.

Because Google encourages you to stay at work as long as possible it also makes other allowances. For instance you can bring your dog to work, get dry-cleaning done on campus, and there's even childcare for young parents (although this is provided at additional expense.)

If you drive to work, Google provides a rebate if you run a Hybrid car, and if you don't drive at all, there are additional bonuses to be had in the way of 'gift cards'. For workers that live in San Francisco there is a free shuttle bus service that runs all day. When you're on campus, Google provide free push bikes to get between buildings.

My tour ended with a walk back through the main courtyard where I hadn't previously noticed the full size T-Rex fossil sitting on the side of the lawn - apparently something that one of the founders 'picked' up at an auction for charity.

With all of these perks, and what seems like a real commitment to create a better world, via a better workplace, it's no wonder Google was voted the number one place to work in the US, and is commensurately piling up the cash faster than it can shovel it into the bank vault.