Office spotlight: Chicago

“It almost feels like the first day back at school,” says Rob Biederman as he waits in line for breakfast at the Fulton Market cafe. It’s April 4, and Chicago Googlers like Rob have just started their first official week of hybrid work.

Opened in 2000 with only two employees, the Google Chicago office in the West Loop neighborhood has now grown to more than 1,800 employees across two buildings. In 2021 alone, more than 500 “Nooglers” — what we call new employees — joined the campus.

Chicago Googlers work on all kinds of products and teams. You’ll meet engineers designing Pixel devices and working on Search, Ads and Cloud projects; salespeople helping businesses across North America grow; and folks working across finance, human resources and product management. “It's amazing to now see all the different organizations and product areas represented in Chicago,” says Britton Picciolini, who was the office’s tenth hire in 2002. “It feels like such a great cross section of what we do at Google.”

• Three Googlers smiling outside at a table. One of the Googlers is holding a phone and the other has a laptop that’s open. The Chicago skyline is in the background.

  Googlers Lauren Guzman, Daniel Muskovitz and Sonya Garg work from the rooftop of Google Chicago’s Fulton Market building.

• Amy holds a stuffed toy and a digital camera, taking a photo of a brown dog in a red turtleneck sweater. Behind them is a white chair and wooden office desk with a monitor, mouse and keyboard.

  That’s me, Amy (and my pups Hudson and Finn) celebrating #NationalLoveYourPetDay! As a marketing manager for our Employment Brand team, you’ll find me leading projects for our social media channels — like taking photos of the Chicago campus and Googlers working remotely.

• A large hallway room with white tables, a kitchen space and a black and white picture of a lion statue.

  The Chicago office’s dedicated event space where Googlers can host meetings and events. It includes a 400-person theater and an outdoor mezzanine space.

Every Google office has its own distinctive decor, and the Chicago campus is no exception. As you explore the Fulton Market building, you’ll see painted murals from local graffiti artists on nearly every floor — including a special installation replicating a Chicago viaduct covered in street art. Meanwhile, in the Carpenter building, you’ll find (and smell) pizzas fresh out of the oven, an outdoor terrace with a firepit and a retro game room with a secret entrance — you’ll have to visit to find out where.

• A hallway with gray, concrete walls covered in art installations. On the left wall are two, light gray hanging chairs with white basket weaves. To the right of the chairs is a tall, green painted monster holding a telescope next to a yellow sun. On the right side is a window and double doors leading to the escalators.

  The 11th floor art installation is one of 16 murals across the Fulton Market building, all created by local street artists.

• A large staircase leads to three separate floors. A person on the bottom floor looks up towards a kitchen on the next floor, where three Googlers are sitting at tables. A person on the top floor looks down from the balcony.

  The six-story atrium in our Fulton Market building serves as the heart of the office and a way for Googlers to interact between floors.

• Three people sit at a table and smile at the camera. From left to right is Daniel, George and Yaseline. Daniel is wearing a gray cardigan with blue jeans, George is wearing a blue and yellow striped shirt and blue jeans, and Yaseline is wearing a light brown cardigan and a black tank top.

  Googlers Daniel Johnson, George Martin and Yaseline Muñoz have breakfast in the Fulton Market cafe during the first week of hybrid work.

• A large archway with four gray chairs in the center, where two Googlers are sitting. Another Googler is sitting at a chair next to large windows overlooking the city. Another employee walks by three arched windows looking out to a hallway.

  The Carpenter building includes a coffee bar with great views — plus a golf simulator, game rooms and several outdoor terraces.

• A rooftop overlooking the Chicago skyline with a silver train car. Next to the train are silver and green chairs and two silver tables. Around the rooftop is a balcony wall and a set of stairs that lead down to a second platform.

  The Fulton Market rooftop features an ‘L’ train car with tables and chairs for Googlers to work on warmer days.

Whether at the office or at home, Googlers often connect through clubs, cultural celebrations and employee resource groups (ERGs). Google Chicago has more than 16 ERGs focused on personal and professional development. For example, the “Being a Mom @ Google Chicago” ERG launched Mom2Mom mentorship, a program that pairs experienced moms with new moms to help them ease back into work after maternity leave. Meanwhile, to celebrate Chicago’s vibrant music culture, the Chicago Culture Club runs an annual office-wide concert — including a virtual version in 2020 — featuring local musicians and DJs, plus great eats from local food vendors.

Chicago Googlers are also passionate about giving back to their communities. In 2018, we launched the Chicago Contribution Awards, an annual award recognizing outstanding contributions by Chicago Googlers to our office and the local community. In 2021, for Black History Month, the Chicago chapter of the Black Googler Network ERG spotlighted Black small business owners through a virtual storefront experience. And in 2022, our office partnered with Google.org to award a $1M grant to support job training on Chicago’s South and West sides.

• Six Googlers smiling at the camera outside on the street. All of them are wearing exercise gear, with some wearing a running number attached to their shirts. Three of the Googlers are wearing red and gold medals with red ribbons.

  The Asian Googler Network, an ERG focused on supporting the Asian community at Google, hosted a series of in-person and virtual events in May 2021 to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. In partnership with Google.org, the Chicago chapter donated $53,000 to local Asian-focused charities.

• A DJ booth with two hands adjusting multiple buttons and knobs.

  Googler Ross Bessinger shows off his DJ skills in a virtual office-wide musical event.

• Three large cardboard boxes lined up next to each other, each filled with backpacks of different sizes and colors. On the white wall behind them is the Google logo with four red stars underneath symbolizing the Chicago flag.

  For the last 11 years, Chicago Googlers have partnered with local organizations to donate school supplies and winter holiday gifts, and raise funds towards essential household supplies for children and families in need across the city.

This is just a peek into the incredible culture at Google Chicago. I moved here in 2016 and can’t even count the number of people who welcomed me with open arms and encouraged me to get involved. Now, I participate in all types of ERG-led events and even write the office’s monthly newsletter to help others embrace all the possibilities that Google Chicago — and the community around us — has to offer.

Interested in learning about job opportunities at Google Chicago? Explore open roles on our Careers site.

by Amy Lynam via The Keyword