[Photo: Hollis Johnson / BusinessInsider]

While a whopping 50 million people have taken over 2 billion Uber rides in 425 cities around the world since the company was founded in 2009, very few know what goes on behind the scenes at the $66 billion firm based in San Francisco.

Uber, a network and app that connects riders with nearby drivers, employs 8,000 people - not including drivers, who are contractors.  About 230 of those employees are based in Uber's Manhattan office, which Business Insider recently visited to get a clearer picture of what the culture is really like.  Here's what they saw and learned:

When we arrived at the West 28th Street office in NYC's Chelsea neighborhood, we found the building largely covered in scaffolding. Walking inside, we didn't know what to expect. Uber's Manhattan office is in an old freight warehouse and former nightclub. Sections of the brick building - now called Chelsea Terminal Stores - date back to 1891.

[Click Link for Complete Details and Slideshow]