Taking in the 'fun' culture at Google

IT was the chance of a lifetime for 21 Immerse Club members from Berjaya University College of Hospitality when they visited the Google Malaysia office in Kuala Lumpur.

Immerse Club vice-president Wong Kok Siong said they got in touch with Google Malaysia communications and public affairs head Zeffri Yusof to arrange the visit.

The trip was designed to allow its members to have a better understanding on the focus areas of Google Malaysia and to provide them with an opportunity to experience the goings-on within the walls of Google.

It started off with a presentation from Google Malaysia account strategists who showed the students the core values and cultures of Google.

The question and answer session was a blast as the students lounged on bean bags, watching videos instead of slides while the presenters made jokes.

There were videos showcasing the company’s latest products — the self-driving car, Google Glass and the Project Loon — and Zeffri also shared insights on how every feature being used at Google came about.

Kok Siong said the use of innovation is widely adopted in all functional units of Google.

“The presenters shared that innovation should not just come from the information technology side but all functional units which make up the company,” he said.

The students also checked out the famed “Gerai Gugel” cafeteria where free food and drinks are served to all employees and guests. Kok Siong said the cafeteria was smaller than the one shown in the movie The Internship because there were less than 30 employees based in Malaysia.

The day ended with the Immerse Club members getting a tour of the office where they discovered that Google gave quirky names to their meeting rooms such as “Nasi Lemak” and “Ikan Bilis”.