Google is consistently ranked as the best company to work for and its employees are among the highest-paid in the world. Long hours are reportedly quite common at Google, but it turns out some employees almost never leave the campus and start living in the parking lot! There’s even a Quora thread about it. Here’s a look at 5 reasons Google employees prefer to live in parking lots and how easy it is...
1. Rents are too high.
Ben Discoe lived at the Google campus for 13 months (October 2011 to November 2012) because the rent in South Bay area was too high. He already had a house payment and alimony to pay, and turns out living in a parking lot is convenient. The security team at Google did check up on him when he started living on the campus, but left him to it once they were certain that he was just an eccentric Googler.
2. To save money.
23-year-old Brandon Oxendine lived in a Google parking lot from June 28 to September 22, 2013. He purchased a station wagon, decked it up with two mattresses and put up curtains on the windows. In his blog, Oxendine says he chose to live in the parking lot because 20s for him is the time to save some money and attain financial freedom. "If I do plan on traveling the world, I'll need to be comfortable with unconventional living situations, and this is certainly a good place to start,” he says. Another Google employee, whose name was not mentioned in the Quora thread, lived on campus in a tent-like camper. In 2-3 years, he saved up enough to buy a house.
3. On a dare.
Matthew J Weaver started living in a Google parking lot on a dare and says “it was excellent for my career.” Though Google does not have a policy of allowing employees to sleep on campus, the security team “even kept a lookout on Weaver’s mobile home when he was away,” according to a Fox News report. Weaver wrote that he would even hold parties in his RV on Thursdays when the weather permitted. However, it became a little difficult for him to explain to women he was dating why he lived in a parking lot, he says.
4. Not able to find housing.
One Googler who had moved to the London office from the Mountain View headquarters could not find a place to stay. So, he stayed at the office till a permanent residence could be arranged; the duration for him was just one week. However, instead of staying in the parking lot, he slept under his desk.
5. How difficult is it?
Turns out, living in a Google parking lot, or somewhere else for that matter, is not really difficult. The employees who have lived on campus for extended periods say that they showered at the gym and ate their meals at the office (Google provides free meals for all employees). Employees can also do their laundry on campus, so even that is not a problem. And anytime you feel the need to use the restroom, “just walk the short distance to the nearest Google building and badge in,” writes Discoe.