Google Speaks: Secrets of the World's Greatest Billionaire Entrepreneurs, Sergey Brin and Larry Page

9.14. GOOGLE GETS AN AIRPLANE

"No wonder the Google boys were so far out of the loop on their net neutrality lobbying effort," the Rat remarked to his minions over the top of his hard-copy of the Wall Street Journal. "They've been distracted by other, more important issues—like who gets what size bed on their corporate plane."^[]

It seemed like the end of an innocent but thrilling era of simplicity when in 2005 Sergey and Larry acquired an airplane. They leased (from themselves) a Boeing 767-200 wide-body jet, which typically seats 200 passengers, and had it outfitted to meet their needs. It became a party jet with two staterooms, sitting and dining areas, and a large galley with seating for 50.

Well, Bill Gates has a 767, so sharing one between Brin and Page seemed almost frugal.

The Google guys requested typically interesting modifications to their flying space, including hammocks that would hang from the ceiling. As for the beds, Eric Schmidt reportedly resolved a dispute over bed size by parental decree: "Sergey, you can have whatever bed you want in your room; Larry, you can have whatever kind of bed you want in your bedroom. Let's move on."^[]

Not only did the outfitting of the plane make headlines, so did the berthing of it. The company pays $1.3 million each year to NASA to park the plane at Moffett Field, which is a hop and a jump from Google headquarters. This is an estimated four times the cost of parking at nearby San Francisco or San Jose international airports.

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