I want to build a company like Google. The future we aim for, as felt in the Bay Area

In January 2025, we at note received an investment from Google (Google International LLC) and concluded a capital and business alliance. Thanks to this connection, I was able to participate in Google's annual conference “Google I/O 2025” held in Mountain View, California, this May.

Google I/O was held under the piercing blue California sky. Innovative AI products, starting with the Gemini series, were announced one after another. As Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in the opening keynote, “From research to reality,” I was excited to see a concrete future where the use of AI will permeate our actual daily lives and business settings more than ever before. Since the details of the announcements have already been covered by many media outlets, I would like to write here not about the technical content, but about the local atmosphere I felt at the conference and my thoughts on the company that I felt through my visit to Google's headquarters.

By the way, this article is not intended to flatter or unconditionally praise Google just because we received an investment; I am writing my own frank impressions as an individual who participated in the event. Also, this is not a simple dualism of saying American companies are amazing and Japanese companies are no good; I believe there are points to learn from both sides, but this time I am focusing on the good points I learned from Google as an individual executive of a Japanese startup.

An exciting event, the best environment

Google I/O was held at a live venue called the “Shoreline Amphitheatre” near the headquarters. Held outdoors under the Bay Area blue sky, it had a festival-like, exciting atmosphere more like a sports or live event than a corporate conference. When the doors opened and I entered the keynote venue, I could tell it was an event that participants from all over the world had been waiting for, with people taking photos and others streaming immediately. Even while waiting for the keynote, demos were being held, and you could feel the enthusiasm of people waiting impatiently for the appearance of CEO Sundar.

Also, this time I was blessed with the opportunity to visit not only Google I/O but also Google's headquarters, commonly known as “Googleplex.” The Googleplex feels more like a part of a city than a typical office, a place where various Google offices and buildings are scattered across a vast site. Because the site is so large, colorful Google-colored bicycles are placed everywhere, and employees and guests can use them to move around freely.

I think Google's free lunch system is famous, but there are cafeterias not in just one place but in various buildings on the site, serving food from all over the world, such as Italian, Mexican, and BBQ.

From my perspective as CFO, I even found myself doing unrefined calculations, thinking, “This grand event, this vast office, these substantial benefits… how much does it all cost?” While investing in a flashy office like Silicon Valley is sometimes ridiculed for a Japanese startup, as long as they are earning very large sales and profits and producing results, I cannot help but feel that this is justice for Google.

As an aside, what to do about the office, what to do about benefits—there are as many answers as there are companies. Focusing entirely on customer value in a modest office is one correct answer. Preparing the best environment like Google to gather the best talent from around the world and create the best products—that is also one correct answer. It is not a question of which is good or bad, but a question of what you achieve through it.

The company we aim to be

Soaking in the atmosphere of the Googleplex, the desire to “become a company like this” became stronger and clearer within me.

A company that talent from all over Japan and the world is desperate to “join”

Google attracts Nobel Prize-level talent, such as Demis Hassabis of DeepMind (2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), who also took the stage at this Google I/O. The Nobel Prize might be an extreme example, but whether in tech, business, or corporate, excellent people see their opportunities expand rapidly by joining this company or project. They can do big things they couldn't do on their own. That is why they want to join. I want to make it a company with such great appeal and attraction that people feel that way.

A company where working employees are rewarded and each employee can be proud of their career at our company

As CFO, I want to reward the employees working at note financially. It would be the best if we could grow the company significantly through our own efforts—the real thrill of a startup—and enjoy the fruits of that growth together. Also, not just financially, but working here should make that person's career shine and become a source of nourishment for their life. I would be happy if it becomes a company where “ex-note” is recognized externally as excellent talent and becomes a brand in itself.

A company where employees connect with each other and the community continues

In this day and age where there are diverse options, since we were in the same organization at the same time in our lives, I would be happy if the fact that they were at note adds color to their lives. My ideal is a company where people who committed fully and gave it their all while at note continue to be active in various places even after becoming alumni, and can gather at life's milestones to keep the community warm.

A company that turns even visitors into fans

A company where business partners and guests want to tell others, 'I've been to note!' A company that can provide an experience where visiting the office itself leads to an exciting experience, and where one can gain new inspiration, just as I did this time. When I walked through the entrance of Google's headquarters, there were many visitors taking pictures in front of the logo, and many people buying Google merchandise at the gift shop. I don't think there are many companies like that.

And, of course, a company that can make investors and society happy.

A company that can reward those who have invested in it, believing in its potential. A company where, through the significant growth of the company and its services, not only are investors rewarded, but the total amount of positive impact that money has on the world through our services is increased, making society better.

Creating services and works that are loved for a long time and filled with dreams.

Of course, I think there is a severe side behind Google's success today. The provision of a privileged environment and infrastructure is built upon intense global competition for talent, fierce internal competition, and at times, layoffs—a reality of survival of the fittest and labor mobility. I, of course, do not want to build a company that is just sparkly and fun.

To achieve results in a good environment, realize business growth, and then reinvest that into creating an even better environment. To realize this ideal, there is something that is absolutely indispensable. That is continuously creating attractive products and services that are enthusiastically supported by users. In the midst of an intense AI development race where global giants are competing fiercely. The enthusiasm of the participants I felt at Google I/O during that time was, I felt, an expression of their anticipation, waiting excitedly to see what kind of attractive proposals Google would make regarding AI, a technology with infinite possibilities that will shape the world to come.

We at note are still like a fledgling chick when viewed on a global scale, but like Google, as an infrastructure for the world, we want to create services, products, and works that are loved by many people for a long time and are filled with dreams. And we want to make it a company where everyone involved—users, creators, and we as service providers—can take pride and live happy lives.

With the excitement I felt under the blue sky of the Bay Area in our hearts, we will continue to move forward toward the future we believe in.

* This note was created while also utilizing Google Gemini 2.5 Pro.