Over the last decade, the technology sector has become a major force in New York's economy, turning the city into a tech hub rivaling Silicon Valley. One of the companies anchoring that hub is Google, which keeps expanding operations in Manhattan. Our Michael Scotto explores why Google is thriving, and gets a rare look inside Google's New York offices, in the second part of his series about New York's booming tech sector, "The Big App."
It's a good idea to bring a map—or a scooter—to navigate Google's main New York City office. The 2.8-million-square-foot building in Chelsea fills an entire city block. It boasts not just workspaces but cafeterias, gyms, massage rooms and massive outdoor terraces. "There's lots of different work environments for folks to avail themselves of," says William Floyd, Google's New York head of external affairs.
The California-based company arrived in the city just as the tech bubble was bursting. At the time, Google was young and looking to get into a business New York is known for: advertising. "Our growth here has been slow and steady, and I would almost say it was accidental," Floyd says. "We started in 2000, thinking we might have a business model based on advertising. That kind of took off."
Google's founders were initially skeptical they would be able to find the kind of engineers that were readily available in Silicon Valley. But today, Google employs more than 7,000 people here, half of them engineers. Many have no desire to work in California.