Office profile
YouTube Headquarters & offices · San Bruno, California
YouTube · San Bruno, California
A headquarters under a rolling 70,000 sq ft roof of native grasses and wildflowers, next to new mass-timber buildings that collect their own rainwater.
The buildings, the benefits Googlers share and the road from a room above a pizzeria to a growing San Bruno campus — then the pay. Every fact from the architects, YouTube's own blog, Google's careers site and Alphabet's filings.
- 70,000 sq ftliving roof of grasses and wildflowers
- 391,000 galrainwater cistern on the new campus
- 4 weeks“work from anywhere” a year
- $147K–$300Kbase pay, Software Engineer III–Staff
Sources: William McDonough + Partners · EHDD · McCarthy · Google Careers (benefits, YouTube job postings 2026) · YouTube Official Blog
Companies / United States / Streaming & entertainment / YouTube
THE HEADQUARTERS · 901 CHERRY · SAN BRUNO
Built to feel like spending the day outside
William McDonough + Partners designed 901 Cherry with loft-like open floors, operable windows and daylight everywhere. Its undulating roof is covered in native grasses and wildflowers that echo the coastal savannah and dampen noise from the nearby airport. Next door, EHDD's two new buildings use mass timber, sawtooth roof windows and colourful “meme” graphics, with two cafés, barista coffee stations, fitness studios and lawns for yoga.
- Grass roof: 70,000 sq ft (≈ 6,503 m²)
- 901 Cherry: 195,000 sq ft (≈ 18,116 m²)
- Expansion: 330,000 sq ft (≈ 30,658 m²)
- Design: William McDonough + Partners · EHDD
- 391,000-gallon rainwater cistern
901 Cherry, under the grass roof (William McDonough + Partners)
William McDonough + Partners designed 901 Cherry, completed in 1997, with loft-like open floors, operable windows and a 70,000 sq ft roof of native grasses and wildflowers.
1400 and 1450 Bayhill: mass timber and “meme” graphics (EHDD)
EHDD's 330,000 sq ft expansion uses mass timber, sawtooth roof windows and colourful “meme” graphics, with two cafés, barista coffee stations and fitness studios.
Around the San Bruno campus
The campus at 901 Cherry and 1400 and 1450 Bayhill has lawns for yoga and a 391,000-gallon rainwater cistern.
Facts: William McDonough + Partners project page “YouTube Headquarters” · EHDD project page “YouTube Campus Expansion” · McCarthy project page. Photos are added later with credit to each architect; we remove any photo on request.
The San Bruno campus
| Building | Address |
|---|---|
| Headquarters, 901 Cherry | 901 Cherry, San Bruno, California |
| Campus expansion | 1400 Bayhill, San Bruno, California |
| Campus expansion | 1450 Bayhill, San Bruno, California |
Source: William McDonough + Partners (901 Cherry) · EHDD (1400 and 1450 Bayhill) · See them on the map ↓
Source: William McDonough + Partners · EHDD · McCarthy Building Companies · SHoP Architects project pages. McCarthy lists both “LEED v4 Platinum” (text) and “LEED Gold Certified” (awards).
Benefits (Google, United States)
Expanded to 18 weeks for all parents across Google (up from 12).
Four “work from anywhere” weeks per year.
15% for Software Engineer III and Senior roles, 20% for Staff, plus equity.
Fertility and family-building support, caregiver leave, elder care and backup childcare.
A 401(k) and regional retirement plans, plus 1-on-1 financial coaching.
Student loan reimbursement.
Medical, dental and vision for employees and dependents, onsite wellness centers and mental-health support.
Donation matching and time off to volunteer.
Source: Google Careers, “Benefits at Google” · YouTube job postings (2026) · Google Australia blog, Feb 27, 2024 (parental leave). Some benefits vary by country.
What keeps people here: the programs Google describes
Four “work from anywhere” weeks a year, on top of a hybrid work model.
Educational reimbursement plus a Googler-to-Googler peer learning and coaching platform.
Employee resource groups, internal community groups and local culture clubs.
Part-time work and job-sharing options.
Regular bonus and equity refresh opportunities.
Source: Google Careers, “Benefits at Google” (YouTube hires through Google's careers site)
Pay at YouTube
Source: YouTube job postings on Google Careers 83912025851208390 (III, Android), 108518356373381830 (Senior, iOS) and 133666085139292870 (Staff, Android), 2026. US base salary; plus a 15% bonus target (20% for Staff), equity and benefits.
YouTube doesn't report pay by age, and Alphabet's proxy statement gives a median for all of Alphabet, not for YouTube.
Office history: from above a pizzeria to a San Bruno campus
- 2005 Above a pizzeria in San Mateo
YouTube was registered as a website on February 14, 2005, and its first offices were above a pizzeria in San Mateo. That year co-founder Chad Hurley sketched the first logo on his way to the office, mixing the Caltrain logo with TV Guide.
Source: YouTube Official Blog: “YouTube at 15” (Feb 14, 2020), “A step forward with the city of San Bruno” (Oct 13, 2021), “20 ways we're celebrating two decades of YouTube” (Apr 23, 2025)
San Mateo, 2006 · Lisa Padilla / CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons - 2006 To San Bruno, then to Google
YouTube employees have worked from San Bruno since 2006. When Google agreed to buy YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock on October 9, 2006, it said YouTube would stay in San Bruno; the deal closed on November 13, 2006.
Source: YouTube Official Blog (Oct 13, 2021) · Google press releases, Oct 9 and Nov 13, 2006 (SEC Form 8-K)
San Bruno, 2006 · Robert E. Nylund - Sallyrob at en.wikipedia / Public domain · Wikimedia Commons - Today 901 Cherry — a 1997 green building under a grass roof
YouTube's headquarters is 901 Cherry, a 195,000 sq ft building designed by William McDonough + Partners and completed in 1997 for Gap Inc. Gap leases it to YouTube; the architect calls it proof that a building can adapt to a new company.
Source: William McDonough + Partners project page “YouTube Headquarters”
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - 2021 A 20-year plan with the city
On October 12, 2021 the San Bruno City Council approved a 20-year framework for the office park around the headquarters, including YouTube's expansion, with more than $130 million for the community and $25 million for affordable housing.
Source: YouTube Official Blog, “A step forward with the city of San Bruno” (Oct 13, 2021)
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - By 2024 1400 and 1450 Bayhill
Two new mass-timber buildings by EHDD, about 330,000 sq ft, joined the campus, with rooftop solar, a microgrid and a 391,000-gallon rainwater cistern. The project won a 2024 IIDA Northern California award.
Source: EHDD and McCarthy project pages
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it. - Next SHoP's five-phase master plan
SHoP Architects is developing a master plan for the San Bruno headquarters. Phase One, over 400,000 sq ft (440,000 sf) of glass, wood and steel on three levels, is under construction.
Source: SHoP Architects project page “YouTube HQ”
No free-to-use photo found yet.Have one? We’d love to add it.
Map: how the headquarters moved
YouTube has moved only once: from San Mateo up the Peninsula to San Bruno, near the airport, where it has stayed and grown since 2006.
- 1 · 2005San Mateo — First offices above a pizzeria (street address not published; marker at the city centre)
- 2 · 20241400 & 1450 Bayhill, San Bruno — Campus expansion by EHDD
- 3 · Today901 Cherry, San Bruno — Headquarters under the grass roof
Places: YouTube Official Blog · William McDonough + Partners · EHDD · Locations: OpenStreetMap
What YouTube does
YouTube is a video platform for entertainment, information and learning, and it supports the creator economy through the YouTube Partner Program. Google bought it in 2006; today it sits inside Alphabet's Google Services segment.
Part of Alphabet's Google Services segment. Alphabet reports YouTube ads revenue on its own; YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium are counted inside “subscriptions, platforms, and devices”.
Source: Alphabet Form 10-K 2025 · YouTube Official Blog, “20 ways we're celebrating two decades of YouTube” (Apr 23, 2025) · YouTube Official Blog, Oct 13, 2021
Growth: revenue vs. people
$11.2B → $40.4B
Calendar years. YouTube ads revenue only (subscriptions are not reported separately): Alphabet Form 10-K 2020, 2022 and 2025. YouTube does not publish its own headcount. Multiple calculated by eciffo.
Chief executives
CEO of YouTube. Named SVP and head of YouTube in February 2023; joined Google with the DoubleClick acquisition.
YouTube's third CEO. An early Google employee who worked on the YouTube acquisition.
Second CEO, after Chad Hurley.
Co-founder; CEO at the time of the Google acquisition and after it.
Co-founders named in YouTube's and Google's own announcements include Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim (who appears in the first video, “Me at the zoo”).
Source: YouTube Official Blog (“YouTube at 15”, 2020; “A personal update from Susan”, Feb 16, 2023; About Us; V&A post) · Google press releases, 2006
YouTube: questions people ask
Where is YouTube's headquarters?
In San Bruno, California, at 901 Cherry, with two newer buildings at 1400 and 1450 Bayhill. YouTube has been based in San Bruno since 2006.
Source: William McDonough + Partners · EHDD · YouTube Official Blog (2021)
Who designed YouTube's headquarters?
William McDonough + Partners designed 901 Cherry (1997), with Gensler as architect of record. EHDD designed the 1400 and 1450 Bayhill expansion, and SHoP Architects is working on a five-phase master plan.
Source: William McDonough + Partners · EHDD · SHoP Architects
How big is YouTube's headquarters?
901 Cherry is 195,000 sq ft (≈ 18,116 m²) under a 70,000 sq ft grass roof. The Bayhill expansion adds about 330,000 sq ft (≈ 30,658 m²), and SHoP's Phase One under construction is 440,000 sq ft.
Source: William McDonough + Partners · McCarthy · SHoP Architects
What is on the roof of YouTube's headquarters?
An undulating 70,000 sq ft roof covered in native grasses and wildflowers. It cuts stormwater, adds thermal mass and dampens noise from the nearby airport.
Source: William McDonough + Partners
Where was YouTube's first office?
Above a pizzeria in San Mateo, California. YouTube moved to San Bruno in 2006.
Source: YouTube Official Blog, Oct 13, 2021
Is YouTube owned by Google?
Yes. Google agreed to buy YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock on October 9, 2006 and closed the deal on November 13, 2006. YouTube is part of Alphabet's Google Services segment.
Source: Google press releases, 2006 · Alphabet Form 10-K 2025
What benefits do YouTube employees get?
YouTube employees are Googlers and share Google's benefits: 18 weeks of parental leave for all parents, four “work from anywhere” weeks a year, backup childcare, student loan reimbursement, a 401(k) and donation matching.
Source: Google Careers, Benefits at Google · Google Australia blog (2024)
Does YouTube allow remote or hybrid work?
Google describes a hybrid work model, with remote work opportunities also available, plus four “work from anywhere” weeks per year.
Source: Google Careers, Benefits at Google
How much do YouTube software engineers make?
2026 San Bruno postings list a US base salary of $147,000–$211,000 for Software Engineer III, $174,000–$252,000 for Senior and $207,000–$300,000 for Staff, plus a bonus target, equity and benefits.
Source: YouTube job postings on Google Careers (2026)
Who is YouTube's CEO?
Neal Mohan, who became head of YouTube in February 2023 after Susan Wojcicki stepped back.
Source: YouTube Official Blog, Feb 16, 2023 · About Us
You have seen the office, the benefits and the pay
Want to work at YouTube?
See open jobs on YouTube's careers site ↗Or keep exploring: compare these benefits and offices with other companies below.
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