How many Google employees are in Ann Arbor? 204 by one count
Anyone who's still curious about how many people search-engine giant Google employs in Ann Arbor got a clue over the weekend.
Company executives told AnnArbor.com the answer was "about 250" when reporter Nathan Bomey talked to Mike Miller, Google’s new Ann Arbor leader, in July.
And the company said it wouldn't discuss its hiring plans for Ann Arbor any longer.
But in Sunday's Detroit Free Press, Google was named one of Metro Detroit's top workplaces - and it provided the number 204 for its total employees in southeast Michigan.
Because Google won't talk about its employees, we're still left to wonder: How are contracted hires factored into their figures?
Nevertheless, the figure offers another gauge of how Google is progressing toward its initial hiring goal of 1,000 for the Ann Arbor AdWords headquarters, opened in downtown Ann Arbor amid plenty of fanfare in 2006.
Earlier this year, Google cut about 200 employees from its sales division. It employs about 20,000, according to company data.
Meanwhile, four job openings are listed today on Google's hiring site for Ann Arbor.
And Google stock is selling this morning for over $550 per share, a few dollars from its 52-week high. Its market cap is $174 billion today.
Comments
Vivienne Armentrout
Sat, Oct 24, 2009 : 6:16 a.m.
How many employees does Google use in its book-scanning project with the UM? Are they factored in to this or was that just the AdWords operation that was being cited?
Johnny5k
Wed, Oct 21, 2009 : 8:08 a.m.
If these are tied to incentives, freedom of information should apply and we should be able to find out what level they are reaching....unless the democrats to expedite the process and bring jobs ignored that restriction. Pfizer left because of Stabenow doing everything in her power to kill them, and personally I don't blame them.
kenneth
Tue, Oct 20, 2009 : 7:31 a.m.
I agree Pfizer was a big loss for the area. Partly due to the timing, the area somehow assumed that Google would automatically replace them. It was never going to be the case and we need to detach those two in our collective psyche. Pfizer was over 2500 employees and Google was going to be, in an optimistic scenario, at most 1000. Google is just a piece of the puzzle and I will take 200 knowledge economy jobs in downtown Ann Arbor any day. I think we need to support them and other smaller growing companies if we hope to return the area (and the tax base) to prosperity.
Kevin
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 7:27 p.m.
Good reporting. Thanks.
mercury69
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 6:59 p.m.
Look...it's a very nice bragging point to say that Google is here in Ann Arbor... And I do...But it isn't Pfizer...There tax money isn't here anymore and we'd rather have them here than Google...look at the North Campus compound...the money the City has lost is staggering compared to what Google brings...
kenneth
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 3:05 p.m.
Government tax incentives are almost always conditional on reaching certain levels of jobs, so I would very surprised if it was not the case with Google. They are very likely getting less than the 38 million, though they still have a few years left and word on the street is they are interviewing like crazy right now. Still, even if it is "just" 200, it makes them one of the larger sources of jobs downtown. Plus, we just went through the worst economic downturn in decades. If I had to bet on one large company positioned to grow on the upswing, it will be Google. So, I am happy they are here and hope they can grow as the economy picks up.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 2:32 p.m.
I tried to Google how many employees Google has in Ann Arbor, and this story was the first hit. How tautological is that? In 2007, InformationWeek reported that there were 150 positions filled in Ann Arbor - and that the company's promise of 1,000 a year earlier was still far from fulfilled. I'm wondering if the brilliant negotiators of the tax break put in any safeguards for our public investment in Google. Jenny gave Google $38 million for 204 jobs. So far, that's $186,000 per job created. It's no wonder she has to tax doctors to pay for that.
townie
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 11:52 a.m.
204 in all of southeast Michigan? Let's see, they have a Birmingham office and they also have the book scanning operation here in A2. Don't they also have a Detroit office? Does that mean Ann Arbor's total is closer to 100....or less? What's happening with all the parking places they were given in Liberty Square, not to mention the tax incentives...
Karen Sidney
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 11:49 a.m.
How many free parking spaces is Google getting from the city?
snark12
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 11:06 a.m.
Regardless of how many people Google wants to employ in AA, I never really believed they could find 1,000 people for those particular jobs in this town.
John Galt
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 10:53 a.m.
It would not surprise me to learn that the 1000 figure (stated before the current recession) will not be fulfilled. They just won't make a public announcement to that effect.
grimdaddy1
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 10:47 a.m.
so because google says so we should belive they have 205 workers from "ann arbor". does this mean the city or the ann arbor area and doesn't google have a reason on a2.com to inflate these numbers. great story
uawisok
Mon, Oct 19, 2009 : 9:53 a.m.
Well their 20% there....now if they received tax payer funded "incentives" I would think it appropriate to return/ decline 80% of that value?? Well at least they have employed some folks...such a delicate balancing act.