tip of the iceberg?
There's a scene in Rise of the Planet of the Apes when Cesare is taken to his new facility after attacking his neighbour. He is received into this stimulating environment with things to climb on and everything is wonderful...until later when he's shuffled down into a cage.
These pictures at Google are wonderful, but who's to say that those pictured aren't the execs, and the working stiffs are in cubicle farms all facing the same way so the supervisor can see if they're on Facebook during work hours.
I speak in jest - I am a Google fan. However, as is so oft the case, the all-encompassing pursuit of maximizing shareholder value will eventually win out and all these comforts will be trimmed off. I've worked for a few of the most profitable companies on earth and it's incredible the hoops you've got to jump through to get a pencil from the supply cabinet...if they have any. How did I document justification for the pencil? I had to tick my name off the "one memo for all department members, sign when you've read it and pass it along", a memo that trumpeted "Great news, our stock is up again."
