“It might seem counterintuitive to step up our investment in physical offices even as we embrace more flexibility in how we work,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post. “Yet we believe it’s more important than ever to invest in our campuses and that doing so will make for better products, a greater quality of life for our employees, and stronger communities.” Over the past five years, Google has spent more than $37 billion building up physical infrastructure in 26 states. Like most large companies, Google shut down its offices in early 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold across the US. Last year, the company announced it would adopt a “hybrid workforce model” that asked employees to spend at least some time in the office. Google said that it expects around 20% of its employees to work from home permanently. Now that Google employees are returning to the office, the company is reportedly offering perks like free scooters to help ease the transition.
