Google Brain Drain

Hundreds of Google employees are poised to become new millionaires this summer, leading some on Wall Street to worry about an upcoming "brain drain." Whats the company doing to make sure it doesnt suffer a mass exodus? Its Silicon Valleys biggest sensation. Its the darling of Wall Street and, some say, its a Utopian place to work. Googles now a global giant, worth more than $150 billion now, hiring 1,500 workers every quarter, many who become millionaires, leaving the company with a serious challenge: how do you motivate employees not just to work, but to keep working even when they dont have to? Many say its the companys unique culture that prevents a kind of brain drain. "Our culture is one that promotes and encourages creative ideas," says Chief Officer of Culture Stacy Sullivan. Officer of Culture? "This role has the most important ingredient to our success. If we continue to foster our culture that encourages cooperation and teamwork. That is going to create more ideas and more creativity," Sullivan explains. To keep that culture going, its all about the perks, which are legendary in the business. "There are so many benefits, I dont even know how to begin," says Google employee Amber Issa. Whats he doing sitting in a massage chair? Working of course! A bar in the office? No problem. Cash bonuses, stock options, car washes, sand volleyball courts, games, exercise facilities, free breakfast, lunch and dinner from corporate Americas ultimate commissary, and the industrys ultimate "brain food." "The theory was, they were going to have a culture of not just smart people but brilliant people," says Roger McNamee with Elevation Partners. Brilliant people who are about to cash in big time. As Google turns three as a publicly traded company, nearly $3 billion as in pre IPO options will vest, a one-two punch of a mass exodus facing the company, and a huge flood of shares hitting the market facing investors. "The average Google employee who has the opportunity to cash out will be worth an additional $6.5 million, so most of them enjoy working at Google just for the love of the game so we dont think there will be brain drain based on that," says Gene Munster with Piper Jaffray. "Our huge challenge is like that for every tech company: to stay relevant. That is true for Google as well. Will we be able to rise to the challenge? We got the talents, we got the insight, we got the willingness to try out new things," says Director of Technology Craig Silverstein. And now the company hopes its attention to culture, a stock that keeps climbing, and its global brand name are all enough to keep workers from running for the exits.