Google Labs’ ‘secret society’ way of thanking its most valuable employees

Google Labs, the team behind the Gemini app and AI Studio, has a unique way of showing appreciation for its most valuable employees. According to Josh Woodward, the vice president of Google Labs, the company uses secret invitations to surprise and thank these individuals in a ritual similar to a secret society. These appreciation meetings are frequently unexpected and are led by multiple senior leaders, creating an air of mystery around their purpose.

The meetings themselves involve each leader taking turns to express their gratitude for the employee's contributions. Woodward described these sessions as "pretty fun" and emphasized that employees are often surprised by the positive nature of the meetings, as their minds may initially assume the worst. These surprise recognition meetings are one of the ways Google Labs celebrates the often unflashy work behind its AI products.

The team also has a tradition of awarding employees for their contributions, with quirky prizes like a miniature rake for optimizing Google's AI chips, a golden Band-Aid for fixing small product flaws, and a set of mechanical ears and a mechanical keyboard for those who push AI models towards new capabilities.