As my flight from Atlanta landed into San Francisco last Sunday, 11JUL, an extreme wave of excitement set in.  Since probably around March, I have been anticipating beginning my AIAD at Google, working in their headquarters in Mountain View, CA and also an office in San Francisco.  I met up with the two other cadets, Steve and Kyle, who would be sharing this experience with me, and we prepared for our first week.

With help from Pete Ricci (USMA alum), Dan Greene (USNA alum...BEAT NAVY), Sean Washington (former Marine), Conor Wiecking, Steve Ha (USMA alum), and many many other people, the three of us started to see what Google was all about.  The culture of Google is completely unique and is definitely different from what we cadets are used to.  Within the first few days, we have seen a man ride into one of the numerous cafes (run by critically acclaimed chefs) on a unicycle, been encouraged by our bosses to take a break to play some ping-pong, and traveled from building to building using the beach cruiser bikes that Google provides.  And it has been amazing.  The people are friendly, the buildings are beautiful, and the work (yes, we do some of it) is fun.

** The view from the San Francisco office facing the Bay Bridge (top) and one of the buildings on Main Campus at Mountain View (bottom). **

Since we have began, amidst all the shenanigans and fun, I believe we have all learned some lessons.  In the first week, the biggest lesson I learned from my stay at Google deals with the importance of efficiency and productivity.  Story time:  We were waiting to get our computers in what is known as a Tech Stop, a place you can get your computer fixed up.  Along the walls were shelves full of brand new computer equipment: mice, batteries, headphones, bluetooth headsets(?), etc.  As we were waiting, Googlers would come and go, grabbing what they needed with a simple swipe of their key card.  No Army issued hand receipts to fill out.  No questions on why they needed it.  Just in and out.  Felix, our computer guy, explained it like this: Rather than employees wasting time, energy, and money, on top of getting stressed out over obtaining their own equipment, Google provides these high-end supplies.  When I asked how they return the items, Felix said they don't.  They figure you need it now and you will probably need it later, so go ahead and keep it.  This example is just one instance where I have seen a streamlined system put in place to facilitate efficiency in a fast-moving organization such as Google.

As I end my first week, I have gathered a couple of missions for the next three weeks:

-Help Google in developing their Veteran's Network (VetNet)

-Work to bring Google Apps (GMail, Calendar, Docs, etc) back to West Point

-Pick the brains of as many employees, especially those in leadership positions within the organization

Kyle, Steve, and myself are excited about completing all three of these objectives with the help of the people at Google.  It will be a true learning experience in a situation completely new to us.

Please stay posted for more updates in blogs as I release them, and thank you for your support.