classifiedscript Chapter 133 Development Direction
Chapter 133 Development Direction
Chapter 133 Development Direction
Three kilometers away from Google's headquarters, an unassuming three-story building stands quietly; this is the office space for Google's Tunes department.
Sunlight streamed through the glass windows facing the street, casting shadows on the light gray carpet and reflecting the busy figures of the employees. The hum of keyboards created a unique office melody.
With multiple rounds of recruitment steadily progressing, Google's current total number of employees has exceeded four hundred, and the once spacious headquarters compound is now overburdened.
The recreation room is used in rotation, the coffee machine in the tea room works 24 hours a day, and even the storage room at the end of the corridor has been converted into temporary workstations.
Under these circumstances, the newly established project team had no spare office space and had to find another place to work, so this three-story building became a temporary solution.
"How's the construction progress at headquarters?" Ernst asked, standing by the window and looking down at the bustling street below, his voice filled with barely concealed anxiety.
This kind of scattered, disorganized office work is not a solution. It will not only cause huge management problems, but also quietly increase the communication costs between departments.
The current office environment is causing him great concern. The latest space utilization report submitted by the human resources department shows that the average office space per employee has been reduced to 60% of the standard value, and filing cabinets can only be placed at the corner of the stairs, with space utilization reaching its limit.
In the vast and sparsely populated land of America, it's difficult to keep employees in a pleasant mood at work if they live in cramped office conditions like those in Hong Kong.
For Americans accustomed to spacious environments, this kind of environment is not even as good as working in a garage, where at least you don't have to worry about spilling your colleague's coffee cup when you turn around.
"Our data center is already built, and its current size is sufficient to meet our needs. If we need to expand in the future, we can do so gradually. Now we are just waiting for the equipment to arrive, and it will be ready to go into operation as soon as it is debugged."
Sergei Brin's voice also carried a hint of anxiety; Ernst was anxious, but he was even more anxious than Ernst.
After all, this was a job he was responsible for, unlike Ernst who was a hands-off manager.
"As for the employee office building, I plan to build a batch of simple model rooms first, and let some employees move there after the data center is put into use."
He paused, then continued, "While this will add some extra costs, it will at least not hinder Google's development."
Sergey Brin gave a wry smile. "Office space is too tight, I don't dare let HR open up hiring. Both Google Search and Gmail are facing staff shortages, Page has mentioned it to me many times."
"But there's really no other way. We can't just rent another batch of office space and keep moving the employees back and forth, can we?"
He shook his head helplessly. "So I had the construction team build a batch of model rooms first. Although the environment is a bit simple, the space is large enough. Moreover, even if the new office building is completed, it cannot be put into use immediately. The model rooms are just right for the transition, and it will be more convenient to move later."
Ernst nodded, agreeing with Sergei Brin's arrangement.
He knew that during the company's rapid growth phase, this compromise was the best option.
"And what about the timeframe? How long will it take to move in?"
Sergei Brin answered almost without hesitation, "At the latest, all employees will be able to move to headquarters."
As they spoke, the two followed Wallace Enzo, the head of Google Tunes, into his office.
The office wasn't large, but it was very well organized. Several progress charts for Google's Tunes project hung on the wall, and the green plants in the corner added a touch of life to the space.
However, Ernst did not rush to inquire about the specifics of Google Tunes, but continued to discuss Google's development with Sergey Brin.
"The problem is simple and obvious: how should we expand next? This involves not only expanding the size of the company, but also the issue of talent reserves."
Sergey Brin picked up the coffee that Wallace Enzo's secretary had just brought him, took a sip to moisten his throat, and put down the cup before beginning his report: "Google now has over 4800 million registered users. I think the data from Nielsen and other research institutions is definitely problematic. The number of global internet users is probably higher than many people's estimates."
Just two weeks ago, Nielsen and other well-known data agencies released a data forecast report based on the growth of the global Internet in the first three months of this year.
The report mentions that the number of internet users worldwide is likely to exceed 8000 million this year.
But Sergei Brin believes that this number is clearly too low.
The data from these organizations usually refer to rough survey results provided by the United Nations Internet Management Department, without conducting detailed field visits, and can only be considered approximate figures.
Many organizations are skeptical of this data, so the exact number of global internet users remains a mystery.
The data released by more authoritative organizations are similar to the figures given by the United Nations, fluctuating by a few million users.
However, some media outlets claim that the number of internet users worldwide has exceeded 100 million, or even more.
This claim is primarily based on projections from global computer sales.
In 1996 alone, global computer sales exceeded 6000 million units. Although many of these were purchased by businesses, schools, and institutions, personal computers accounted for more than half of the total.
Unlike fast-moving consumer goods, computers do not have a strict shelf life.
Unless you are well-off or a tech enthusiast, very few people will replace their computer every year.
The number of computers in use worldwide has now exceeded 300 million. Even though many of them are old models and some have been phased out, computer sales have exceeded 100 million units in just the past two years.
With so many computers sold, yet only 70 to 80 million internet users, this is precisely why many media outlets have raised questions.
Sergey Brin, however, questioned the data because of the number of Google registrations.
According to Nielsen, the number of global internet users this year may exceed 80 million, but the actual number is only 60 million. However, the number of registered users of Google Chrome has exceeded 48 million.
Moreover, Google's user base is growing at a steady rate every month, and the monthly growth rate is not too slow.
Another problem is that Google has begun to expand into the global market, but it has encountered strong resistance in many regions.
Besides the numerous imitators and their competition, local conglomerates are also subtly influencing the market landscape.
In Japan, for example, Google's market share in search engines is only slightly over 20%.
Although Google's search engine technology is more advanced, Japan is almost entirely dominated by Yahoo!
Through overwhelming, brainwashing-style propaganda and preferential policies, Japanese people have become accustomed to using Yahoo! Portal instead of Google.
Naturally, when it comes to choosing a search engine, they also tend to use Yahoo's internal search engine.
According to internal market research data from Google, Google's search engine has a global market share of around 60%.
If there are truly 60 million internet users, how could Google possibly have 48 million users? This data paradox convinced Sergey Brin that the actual number of internet users worldwide is far greater than the currently reported figures.
"So you think there's still a lot of untapped potential for user growth in Google Search?" Ernst keenly grasped the crux of the matter, leaning forward slightly.
Sergey Brin nodded emphatically. "Google Mail now has 2100 million users. Although its market potential is still huge, Google Search is our core foundation."
"As long as the number of Google Search users can grow more significantly, we will be able to complete the integration of all projects once our browser is launched."
"At that time, whether it's Gmail, Google Tunes, or other projects developed by Google, users will likely gradually accept these Google products once they use Google Chrome."
"After all, convenience is the key to the rapid development of the Internet."
The multi-account system has been a hallmark of Google since the launch of Gmail.
The Wall Street Journal even published an article specifically stating that this design is a brilliant idea in the internet field, greatly enhancing the user experience and brand loyalty.
"As for talent reserves, I don't want to wait any longer," Sergei Brin said firmly.
"The college graduation season is just around the corner, and we can't wait until the new headquarters is completed before we start recruiting. But the current office space is really limited, so my idea is to act first and reserve talent in advance."
"We can let the newly recruited employees temporarily use the school's or their own computers for work. The company will assign some simple tasks and provide them with a certain amount of compensation. As long as we can get through this month or so, and once the headquarters is ready to operate, everything will get back on track."
A brief silence fell over the office, as sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
Ernst glanced at Sergei Brin, pondering the feasibility of the matter.
While the other party's approach is certainly a good one, it will also increase labor costs and create redundant staff.
Employees who cannot work in the office face significant limitations in business communication and management.
This is equivalent to Google using full-time salaries to support its part-time employees.
Given Google's current reputation, it can hire anytime it needs, attracting a large number of talented individuals who would switch jobs to apply.
However, Ernst's gaze quickly hardened. In this era of rapid internet development, opportunities are fleeting, not only in business competition but also in the poaching of talent.
Google isn't afraid of having too many employees; it has too many projects in its head to work on.
However, if talent flows into the hands of competitors, it will accelerate their development.
Strategically, Ernst also needed to support Sergei's idea.