FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE ITS INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING, GOOGLE ALLOWS A CLOSE-UP LOOK AT THE COMPANY�S TRENDY HEAD- QUARTERS, ITS PHILOSOPHY AND FUTURE � �60 MINUTES� SUNDAY

Google, the premier search engine used by people 200 million times a day to find information on the Internet, has become a household �click.� It�s even a verb, as in �I googled you,� used around the world. The company that began as a school project just six years ago is now worth about as much as Ford and General Motors combined, thanks to a stock that has roughly doubled since it went public last August. For the first time since then, Google has opened its doors, allowing 60 MINUTES to �google� them for a report by Lesley Stahl to be broadcast Sunday, Jan. 2 (7:00-8:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

60 MINUTES cameras find an atmosphere more college dorm than corporate office at the company�s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif � an environment that belies a highly creative and competitive attitude. The �googleplex� features volleyball games every day at noon, a cafeteria where employees eat for free, dogs under desks and nary a tie in sight. �This is where we spend the�overwhelming majority of our time, so in order to have a good lifestyle we had to have a good lifestyle at work,� says Google co-founder Sergey Brin.

It�s pretty good working for Google outside the workplace, too. The company holds an annual ski trip that will be more difficult this year as they now number 3,000 employees and are still growing. They hire more than 20 new people a week and receive 1,000 resumes daily.

Google has become a huge success because its search engine was the first to list the information on computer search terms in a descending list by relevance, eliminating a plethora of unwanted data. Now the game is to continue to hone the search capabilities and keep ahead of competitors.

Currently, they�re testing a new product that allows people to use Google technology to search the contents of their own computers just as they have been able to search the Internet. Further down the line, but right around the corner for this innovative company, is the ability to offer even more powerful searches and not just on a computer. It is now testing making searches available on cell phones.