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Better Know an Office: Boston
August 2, 2011
Introduction: We continue with our “Better Know an Office” series, inspired by Stephen Colbert’s
Better Know a District
.
This recurring series will take us to different Google offices around the globe. Today, “Better Know an Office” heads to the banks of the Charles River to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Located in the heart of greater Boston’s technology community and
across the street from MIT
in Kendall Square,
Google Boston
is
Google’s second largest office
east of the Mississippi River. However, this wasn’t always the case. It was only a few years ago—in 2003—that Google Boston consisted of a small sales team with an office in a hotel. In parallel, a small engineering team also started in Cambridge. Overall, these teams totaled around 40 employees. It was not until 2007 when Steve Vinter, Google Boston’s site director, arrived that these small teams started to
expand
. Since then, the office has been growing and recently went through another growth spurt with the
acquisition
of Cambridge-based ITA Software in April 2011.
The Google Boston office manages a wide array of
engineering
projects, including
Mobile
and
Chrome OS
teams, the latter of which has been involved in the creation of an
open source operating system
. Engineers at Google Boston are also behind
Google Book Search
, including recent work on the release of the
Google eBooks for eReader
, and the Google Boston office was involved in the launch of the
Google +1 button
this past spring.
The workplace environment at the Google Boston office maintains its “Googliness” through its unique office layout. In addition to conference rooms named after Boston-based movies (Good Will Hunting, The Perfect Storm), Boston beers (Sam Adams, Harpoon) and Boston authors (Dickinson, Hawthorne), Google Boston has an entire
New England-themed floor
. On the second floor, employees can escape to Cape Cod beach—a lounge decorated with adirondack chairs and beach cabanas—or walk through an area designed to resemble historic Beacon Hill. If the second floor sweet escape doesn’t do it for you, the office environment also fosters playful competition and Googlers come together in common areas to play board and card games such as Dominion, Magic, Innovation, Race for the Galaxy and 7 Wonders.
Outside of work, Google Boston employees are involved in many
community outreach programs
. As part of Google’s commitment to K-12 initiatives and to the Cambridge and Boston communities, Google Boston annually welcomes high schoolers from MIT’s
MITES Program
(Minority Introduction to Engineering and Sciences) for a fun afternoon consisting of an office tour, product demos and discussions with a panel of engineers. Google Boston also partners with MIT to
support innovation in the sciences
. This support ranges from focused research awards to sponsorships for research development. Googlers from the Boston office volunteer at the
Cambridge Boys and Girls Club
, tutoring after school power hours for students in math and science. They recently donated 25 computers to the Club as well. Lastly, through
Citizen Schools
, Googlers act as “citizen teachers,” educating middle school students once a week on topics of personal passion and interest. Last year, Google Boston’s very own software engineer, Alan Su, was honored with the
Citizen Teacher of the Year
national award.
From site expansion, to innovative projects, to a playful work environment and community involvement, the Google Boston office is definitely on the rise. Just like the Cheers
theme song
, the Boston office is a place “where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.” So, what are you waiting for? Go
pahk your cah in Hahvuhd Yahd
and check out the
opportunities
waiting for you at the wicked cool Google Boston office!
Posted by Melissa Arguinzoni, BOLD Intern
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