Exactly - if Google didn't get good business value from having so many employees working at a central HQ (and busing employees from SF to Mountain View), they wouldn't do it -- they could save a lot of money on salaries and office space by hiring a distributed workforce across the rural USA (and world).
They find the tangible and intangible benefits of a central HQ to be worth the price. They have so many small offices across the country that they could easily spread out their workforce nationwide and get out of the expensive Bay Area... if they felt it would provide value.
They find the tangible and intangible benefits of a central HQ to be worth the price. They have so many small offices across the country that they could easily spread out their workforce nationwide and get out of the expensive Bay Area... if they felt it would provide value.