Not sure how the tech press managed to miss this. Some 450 people who work on Google Plus are currently in Hawaii for an offsite. For tax purposes, we understand, the event involves work. But in reality it’s a reward for all the hard work the team has accomplished in launching and growing Google+.
Google has confirmed the trip but won’t provide any further details.
The “no good deed goes unpunished” rule applies here too, though. There are lots of people working on Google+ who weren’t invited to the offsite, a source tells me, and obviously wish they were. The issues brought up around that may have tanked the entire trip, apparently.
If there’s any actual work going on in Hawaii, it’s likely trying to understand the recent product changes at Facebook and how to address them.
Have more details? Send them my way.
Update: Liz Gannes has pictures
Uncrunched 
Mike, I got an op ed you may like to post. message me
G+? still exists?
yes, you join it now, I am already a member of it, it is very convient.
First ! lol.
But they do deserve it, I personally know quite a few people who have shut down their FB profiles and signed up with Google+
Yeah, 1st one to leave comment.Always wanted to do that…lets read now 😛
^Nevermind the ‘First’ 🙂
i so much hope this insight into sv continues .. we need a new tech/world blog
thanks much for all your work up til now.
Why would the tech press think that it’s worth commenting on the way Google rewards its employees? I don’t recall anyone writing stories about MSFT “off-sites”. Why are you trying to stir this pot?
You might want to refer to his post explaining what he’ll do here. I think in short it could be interpreted as “He doesn’t give a shit about what you want to see on his site, he’ll write about whatever he feels like writing about”.
yes.
like!
I wish you had a “Like” feature here just for that reply. Thanks!
Yeah! Fuck you! I liked reading it.
Uncrunched has that good ole vibe of the early techcrunch. Just in time for the next wave.
Can you idiot quit with the “First!” thing?
The only time it was funny was when Andy Brett did it on Michael’s first post — now it just spams up the comments, and none of you end up being first anyway.
Re: Google+ers in Hawaii. I picture them living in some secluded, 70’s hippie comune, running mad scientist tests on how to incorporate time-travel, animal cognitive abilities and nuclear power into the Google+ platform.
Oh.. but then stuff goes wrong and they can’t come back from the island and Mark Zuckerberg starts strategically air-dropping palates of dehydrated buffalo burgers to them in exchange for their technology.
Well, somebodu has to be first. :p
Love ur sarcasm, man… Still laughing…
But I feel G might be another major failure. Only time will tell…
I’m no man, but thanks for the laughs. 🙂
I’m just amazed at the fact that projects with 450 people heavily involved can produce a success like Google+. Well deserved IMO.
He’s back…..
“Not sure how the tech press managed to miss this.”
What exactly are you? A blogger is mostly the same thing as the press now.
In other news, I had a Pizza Bagel for lunch. It was yummy. Carry on.
I didn’t get invited to Hawaii, but I also didn’t have anything to do with Google+. Still would have been nice to be invited though.
Did mike arrington pioneer the stupid random images attached to blog posts? I love them. Tried searching “hawaii” in google images, and I was expecting this elvis one to be on the first page.
Mike, where do you get your images?
Tom
I just searched for elvis hawaii images. not sure why.
Seems fair enough, they managed to build a great social network very quickly, now if only they’d allow Google Apps users on!
+1 wonder what is taking them so long!
Awesome.
What does tanked the entire trip mean exactly?
Fun time, i guess will be followed by harsh time. Not many ones really into and engage with + yet.
I live on Oahu, and use Google+ quite a bit. I’ll see if I can dig up any location-based posts that don’t seem to fit in 😉
恩。。不错
Our company is based in Honolulu Hawaii.
I look forward to chatting with the google team.
Time to find out where they are staying. Anyone know?
Mahalo,
so I guess this is how they do layoffs now….trip to Hawaii
I never knew techcrunch and stumbled on all this drama when I read a drudge post of you sticking it in huffpo’s eye a couple weeks ago. now I am tracking uncrunched (brilliant) daily. Love it.
Consider me one of the unique visitors
wow nice one 🙂
Did you just really accuse Google of helping to orchestrate tax fraud? What do you base that on?
Hmmm, no response. Regardless, a question to the audience – should we not, as taxpayers, feel obliged to are this information with the IRS? Personally, if this is true, I’ll find it hard to respect Google any longer. Google’s employees are amongst the country’s most privileged, at a time when the government is cutting basic services, it seems perverse to take advantage of tax loopholes to give away hawaiian vacations. Besides the moral discussion, doing this will only further alienate the 99%.
Did they fly Google Air?