To celebrate Google’s 20th birthday, today Google provided a virtual travel back in time and stroll through Susan Wojcicki’s disused garage (the original Google Garage) in Street View (almost) just like it was 20 years ago when two university students, Larry and Sergey, decided they were going to organize the world’s information and make it accessible to everyone.
As one walks through the garage’s side door, you’ll note a familiar Search box on an old “CRT” computer monitor held up by a wooden workhorse table with yellow legs. Larry and Sergey were particularly thrilled that use of the washing machine and dryer was included in their rent.
As you chase cables that scramble haphazardly down the hallway, you’ll find a bedroom -in fact the main office- with a whiteboard that reads “Google’s Worldwide Headquarters” in black text. On another whiteboard, you’ll see a cheeky homage to Google’s logo update back in 1998. The wallpaper surely reminds of tea at grandparents’ home.
As the team grew to six people, they expanded their workspaces into the three small bedrooms on the ground floor. If one hunts around and will find a collapsible mini rainbow sphere, a surf-frog terrarium, a dinosaur, a ping pong table, and a piano keyboard for music breaks.
The street view travel back to the original Google Garage also provides a video clip captured by Harry, Google’s sixth employee, that shows how it looked like. A secret trap door provides access to a peek on Google’s history just turning on the neon light that opens Eastwer eggs world.
Image over the headline.- Susan Wojcicki’s disused garage (the original Google Garage) on street view. © Google.
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