(COS News) Silicon Valley. Google, an internet search company in Mountain View, California, has begun using llamas to ferry employees between buildings on its campus.
“They are very environmentally friendly,” said Larry Page, one of the founders of Google, “We used to use electric scooters but the llamas are much better."
When asked if having llamas at the Googleplex could be dangerous, Page said “They are very quiet animals, docile and friendly. They are a little slow but very relaxing to ride."
Google hires Stanford graduate students to attend to the llamas and to perform some of the normal duties of a groundskeeper. The llamas are trained by the Llama Guy, Alvan Santoso, and fitted with a special harness to carry Googlers with their laptops. They live on a nearby farm and are available at Google Monday through Friday. “They are very suited to the Googleplex because their feet are shaped in a way that does not do any damage to the Googleplex,” Santoso said. “And like a cat, they are trained to visit a litter box, so they don’t create any mess on our playgrounds.”
Santoso would not say exactly how much Google is saving on the llamas over the traditional electric scooters but did say, “We don't report that but it is very significant, something like XXX.” In a recent TGIF all employee meeting, insiders told us Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO told employees, “You need to understand. It’s not about the cost savings now, the llamas are part of a virtuous cycle we are trying to build.” When all the 20 somethings stared at him like he had three eyeballs, he scrunched up his eyebrows a little and spoke even more slowly, “The llamas eat grass, the llamas carry googlers, googlers design things, the llamas poop, we harvest the poop to power our buildings, googlers eat, the llamas eat waste from our cafes, the llamas carry googlers, googlers design things, the llamas poop.”
Page also has plans for sharing the llamas with other Bay Area companies. “We feel it is important to be good neighbors.” They have certainly proved to be an attraction in Mountain View. Drivers pull over on the sides of roads next to the Googleplex to take pictures. The llamas are already being booked for special events, including an annual Google picnic billed this year as a Llama-Rama.
A llama won’t be able to do much in the ongoing war with Microsoft, but they appear to be adept keeping Googlers sane. “I’ve seen people who maybe aren’t having a great day that will just stop playing and walk the llama for a while,” says Alvan Santso.
“They are very environmentally friendly,” said Larry Page, one of the founders of Google, “We used to use electric scooters but the llamas are much better."
When asked if having llamas at the Googleplex could be dangerous, Page said “They are very quiet animals, docile and friendly. They are a little slow but very relaxing to ride."
Google hires Stanford graduate students to attend to the llamas and to perform some of the normal duties of a groundskeeper. The llamas are trained by the Llama Guy, Alvan Santoso, and fitted with a special harness to carry Googlers with their laptops. They live on a nearby farm and are available at Google Monday through Friday. “They are very suited to the Googleplex because their feet are shaped in a way that does not do any damage to the Googleplex,” Santoso said. “And like a cat, they are trained to visit a litter box, so they don’t create any mess on our playgrounds.”
Santoso would not say exactly how much Google is saving on the llamas over the traditional electric scooters but did say, “We don't report that but it is very significant, something like XXX.” In a recent TGIF all employee meeting, insiders told us Eric Schmidt, Google’s CEO told employees, “You need to understand. It’s not about the cost savings now, the llamas are part of a virtuous cycle we are trying to build.” When all the 20 somethings stared at him like he had three eyeballs, he scrunched up his eyebrows a little and spoke even more slowly, “The llamas eat grass, the llamas carry googlers, googlers design things, the llamas poop, we harvest the poop to power our buildings, googlers eat, the llamas eat waste from our cafes, the llamas carry googlers, googlers design things, the llamas poop.”
Page also has plans for sharing the llamas with other Bay Area companies. “We feel it is important to be good neighbors.” They have certainly proved to be an attraction in Mountain View. Drivers pull over on the sides of roads next to the Googleplex to take pictures. The llamas are already being booked for special events, including an annual Google picnic billed this year as a Llama-Rama.
A llama won’t be able to do much in the ongoing war with Microsoft, but they appear to be adept keeping Googlers sane. “I’ve seen people who maybe aren’t having a great day that will just stop playing and walk the llama for a while,” says Alvan Santso.
