Lucky Google Boxer Shorts gets me The Sitdown of a Lifetime

It was Tuesday, August the 9th, and I had been having a very bad week. I had originally booked my trip to arrive Sunday for the start of SES, and then I canceled at the last minute. Jenstar (AdSense Queen) and DaveN both convinced me to come out and I was scheduled to arrive Tuesday at noon, but missed my flight due to various problems, and was able to get a new flight arriving just a couple hours before the Google Dance was set to begin.

I got sick on take off and the flight crew actually had to give me oxygen and was going to radio ahead to have medical personnel standing by. I assured them this was not necessary and was able to make it to the hotel with out further incident. After arriving I felt probably the worst I ever have at the start of a conference. I didn’t really want to do anything, but take a shower and go to bed. However, I knew I would regret not having gone to the plex – so I took the shower and decided to wear the “I’m Feeling Lucky” boxer shorts I had bought from the Google Store. I am glad I did.

Arriving at the Googleplex in Style

I managed to get there half an hour after starting time courtesy of BakedJake’s Hummer Limo. Upon arriving the place was packed. I managed to find Dave and Jen as well as some other friends and we wandered into the lower level of the Googleplex where the engineers were holding a “Meet the Engineers” event. Unfortunately I had forgotten my camera and was only able to take shots with my Treo. Matt Cutts was even more mobbed than usual. To many webmasters – Matt is Google.

After chatting some more with Mike & Aaron (two other Google engineers), Dave, Jen, and I then managed to score a tour of the Googleplex itself with Matt and Aaron. This was one of the best times I have ever had. After entering the Plex I felt a little bit like I had died and gone to heaven. The ambience was enchanting and I felt the excitement stirring inside. I was inside the heart of company that had totally changed my life for the better.

The Googleplex looks like Ikea on Steroids

Everything looks very modern and efficient. My eyes and brain were moving at top speed, but finding it all very hard to absorb. Gorgeous and fantastic - the place buzzes with the passion and enthusiasm that has turned Google from a few computers hooked together with Legos to the world’s premier technology company. We got to see plenty of stuff I had only read about before, and some stuff I had not. Of course, we didn’t get to see everything.

When passing Larry and Sergey’s office, Matt said something along the lines of he’d have to tackle me if I tried to go in there.

“Come on – I want to see the counter”
“Yeah right – I don’t think so…”

Serendipity

So on we went and we sat on the main level talking about life, the universe, and everything. Matt & Aaron are two very, very sharp guys. They are the kind of guys I would like to hang out with even if I wasn’t into SEO or Google. It was late at night and people were partying away at the Google Dance. I was having such a good time I was oblivious to everything outside.

After midnight or so – I look up and see standing not ten feet from us – the two people I would have picked if asked the question: “If you could meet anyone in the world – who would it be?” Matt did the introductions and Larry Page and Sergey Brin, who were clearly on their way out for the evening, STAYED AND CHATTED with us.

They Really are Down to Earth

I don’t know what I was expecting, because I wasn’t expecting to meet them, but both of them would fit right in with the webmaster crowd. After all – they ARE webmasters – just their site is a little bit more successful than most and requires a little bit more power and bandwidth. When Larry heard what I do for a living – he suggested I could do something a little bit more productive with my life. Maybe someday I will follow that suggestion – I am just much better at black hat SEO.

Anyway, Larry had to leave after a half hour or so and we spent the rest of the time chatting away with Sergey, Matt, Aaron, and another Google Engineer who joined in later – and unfortunately his name escapes me. Keep in mind that this is after midnight and Larry & Sergey don’t have to be working that late. They want to. What makes Google a great company and a great search engine is the people there are smart, really want to make a difference, and believe in what they do.

From Limo to Piece of Crap

It was so late when we got out of the Googleplex – around 2:30 I think – that all the buses back to the hotel had left. We managed to bum a ride with a kind Google employee. I know that this employee does well financially, but he has the same car that he had when he started at Google (and my guess is it was his car from high school). What a great way to cap off an evening that I will cherish forever.

Thanks to Jen and Dave whom I consider to be two of my best friends in the world, to Matt and Aaron on the great tour and time, and Larry & Sergey who have changed my life and that of the world for the better.

Posted by Chris on Thursday, August 18th, 2005 at 7:26 am.