The Ultimate Office: Inside Google’s NYC Compound

It's hard to remember a time before AIM. Before Facebook. And yes, even before Instagram. Harder still, calling to mind a world before Google. And really, we don't even want to think about it. Instead, we'd rather go behind the scenes to get a closer look at what it's like to be in charge of…everything.

Wish fulfilled: We got an exclusive tour of the even more super-exclusive Google compound in NYC—and we found out that there really are people (not robots) running Google. It's kind of like pressing all those shift-F-button combinations and accidentally realizing there's a world in your computer beyond your desktop wallpaper—except this world has scooters, ping-pong tables, Pac-Man-themed cafes, and unlimited vacation "sick" days. From the quirky library space to the grown-up game room of every employee's dreams, this office actually has it all. Click through to see the workspace of the wizards behind the WWW, and don't sweat it—should you want to relive the sneak peek all over again, you can always just, uh, Google it.