Having lunch at the Googleplex is just as fun as you might imagine. This year, Miami Beach 411 received an early Christmas gift—a meeting with Google at the Googleplex—and we had a fantastic time. Google even took us to The Alley, one of the company’s ten cafeterias for Googlers.
Even though I had visited Google before, I was worried that during the meeting I would just sit there in awe, not knowing what to say. I asked our form members for some input on what they’d like to know about Google.
I asked coach’s question first:
“Why don’t you just go ahead and change your name to ‘The Borg’?”
Looking back, this was probably not the best question to lead with. In case you’re wondering, “The Borg” is a cyborg character from Star Trek who ruthlessly seeks to assimilate all life into itself. In tech-jargon, the Borg usually represents Microsoft.
Google, despite being a large company with over 20,000 employees, has feelings too. They seemed a bit hurt by the remark, and I assured them it was a joke.
Google explained why being “big” allows them to tackle large, complex problems, like:
Being bigger allows them to take on the impossible—and their computational power and technical know-how make it happen.
After hearing about some of Google’s impressive projects, I asked a question on behalf of our team member Maria de Los Angeles:
How much money do they make from Google ads on blogs?
Google’s AdSense program has been instrumental to Miami Beach 411’s growth. It gave us the confidence and revenue to leave our restaurant jobs and focus on building the site into a company that now supports 18 employees.
AdSense lets websites sell advertising space that is relevant to the content. Every click contributes to the publisher’s revenue, helping small companies like ours thrive.
During the meeting, Google shared revenue stats:
These insights helped us understand how platforms like Google AdSense can empower small publishers and businesses.
Google, thank you for believing in us! Your tools—AdSense, Google Apps for Business, and Maps—make running Miami Beach 411 smoother and more efficient every day.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on December 23, 2009 and updated in 2026.
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