Wow-worthy Workplace

Google unveils new high-end digs in downtown Austin

No need to search Google for this news, we’ve got it right here for you. With politicos and journalists in attendance, Google on Tuesday, September 19, showed off its brand-new downtown Austin office at 500 W. Second St.

More than 450 people now work at Google’s new space, which encompasses about 300,000 square feet. Google teams working on Android, G Suite, Google Play, finance, engineering, marketing, and “people operations” occupy the new digs.

We can’t imagine the inhabitants of Google’s new quarters would find anything to gripe about. The offices feature contemporary high-end furnishings that look like they’re straight out of a Design Within Reach showroom. In some cases, those furnishings could easily be plopped into the lobby of a sleek hotel.

Google is the biggest tenant at the West Second Street office tower, which stands 29 stories high and features about 500,000 square feet. Google is said to have poured millions of dollars into designing, building, and outfitting the new offices.

Work is underway on two more floors of the building that’ll be occupied by Google; the space is set to be completed next year. The tech company plans to add employees once that space is finished but declines to say how many.

“We love Austin, its world-class talent and world-class companies,” says Greg Garrison, Google’s Austin site lead. “Google is proud to call this city home, and we’re excited to continue to contribute to this amazing community and help define Austin as a growing tech hub.”

Among the features of Google’s new Austin home, designed by CTA Architects, are:

Open workspaces
Three city-view terraces
A greenbelt-inspired waterfall feature — operating with recycled water — that accentuates a stairwell connecting floors 26-29
An Airstream dining trailer to feed Google workers

“Thanks to low taxes, reasonable regulations, right-to-work laws, and a world-class workforce, the Lone Star State is fast becoming a global tech hub, and we could not be prouder to have Google further expand here,” Gov. Greg Abbott says.

Google has unveiled new digs downtown.

Photo courtesy of Google

Google has unveiled new digs downtown.

Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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