Google Buys Its Startup Garage
No, Google has not purchased Guy Kawasaki’s Garage Technology Ventures. In the feel good story of the day, Google has gone back to its historical roots and purchased itself a birthday present, the very garage where the startup began.
Larry Page and Sergey Brin had rented the garage from Susan Wojcicki, who is currently Google’s Vice President of Product Management, for $1,700 when the company first started back in 1998.
The original Google Plex, which was rented Google to help Susan pay her mortgage, served as a day & night location for building the billion dollar Google Empire, dips in the hot tub, and late night raiding of Wojcicki’s refrigerator by the original Googlers.
After 5 months, Google moved on to set up a more professional shop, but the Menlo Park house has now become a Mecca of sorts for fans of the company. Reported bus loads of Google-ites, college kids and tourists have become bit of an annoyance.
From the AP :
The busloads of people that show up to take pictures of the house and garage have become such an annoyance that Google asked The Associated Press not to publish the property’s address, although it can easily be found on the Internet using the company’s search engine.
