If you’re planning to visit Google’s newly opened New York office, don’t bother packing your paddles. Unlike its Silicon Valley location, the company’s latest office doesn’t have any of its classic ping-pong tables.
The tech giant unveiled its latest workspace in February — a sprawling 1.2 million square foot building situated on top of a 1930s rail terminal.
Located next to the Hudson River, the office offers a variety of communal spaces and facilities, including a yoga studio and foot washing station, Business Insider previously reported.
However, The Wall Street Journal recently took a tour and reported that Googlers will be missing out on one thing from their West Coast counterpart: ping-pong tables.
The recreational game has been a staple at Google since the company’s very first office back in 1998. It arguably sparked the induction of quirky office amenities like nap pods and game rooms throughout Silicon Valley campuses.
Ping-pong tables, in particular, have become a sort of beacon of tech companies, so much so that one startup CTO once told the Journal, “If you don’t have a ping-pong table, you’re not a tech company.”
But Google’s St. John’s Terminal is breaking that trend, possibly because this HQ was also designed for the company’s Global Business Organization — not just for software engineers, according to a blog post by Google.
“This building represents our latest thinking about how we can best work together with our clients, partners and each other,” the company wrote.
Google did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment ahead of publication.
However, it may be a new approach to the classic “cool” Big Tech office space. More companies have been investing in more luxurious or interesting workplaces to incentivize employees to return in person post-pandemic.
From speak-easy style meeting rooms to Airstreams serving frozen yogurt, it seems that ping-pong tables may just not be making the cut anymore.
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