Why did you decide to come to Google?
It sounded like a really positive environment with a lot of smart people working on a lot of cool things. Google had (and still has) positive goals with a view to improving everyone's life in a responsible and fair way. As an Open Source Developer, their contributions to the wider community appealed to me.
Why do you like working at Google?
It's full of smart, motivated, good natured people. We get to work with incredible technologies at massive scales and have lots of insight into (and potential to be involved with) upcoming new things. I get to be involved in both local and global Google communities, and it's still possible to be more than just an email address. There are plenty of challenges to be tackled.
What is your favorite perk/benefit about working at Google?
Food, Coffee, Massage, Travel... I can't decide.
What cool projects have you worked on at Google?
iGoogle, Blog Search, and more. It's great because each project actually overlaps a whole lot of different areas, and I learn about how virtually everything works.
What is unique about your role?
Being in a relatively new group in Sydney, everyone works together and has an opportunity to stand out. Understanding the production operations of Google, and being able to delve into the innards of everything our services touch on. My group has a really diverse set of responsibilities, so we have a good understanding of a large range of Google's operations. Plus there is a large scope to specialise in things you're interested in.
What are your goals at Google – what are you working to achieve?
I like to get things done. So I enjoy finding new challenges and robust solutions to them. I suppose I'm also a bit of a knowledge sponge.. I want to know how everything works. Plus, I'm keen to work on products with potential for a large impact and benefit for users.
What's been the biggest surprise about working at Google?
The internal transparency. It's great to be able to poke around and see how things work and to know about the company's plans into the future.
What has been the most amazing experience or day you've had at Google thus far?
Unfortunately I don't have a single stand-out coming to mind. There have been lots of days when I've gone home with a smile on my face... our trip to the Chocolate Factory in New York was fun. Our cruise on Sydney Harbour in the Tall Ship was fun, as was the paintball and laser tag. I enjoyed the day that Morimoto gave a Tech Talk at New York, and the food afterwards. I really enjoyed the food the day they had three delicious looking and tasting ravioli dishes at the New York office.
