Here's the skyscraper. The San Francisco Chronicle's architecture writer panned it, saying it looked as if it was "designed and built by New Yorkers" and comparing it to Darth Vader. But that seems a little extreme. It's a skyscraper. It's reflective and black. It looks kind of cool, if a little imposing.
Walk inside and the lobby is gorgeous. It's a public space, open to anybody.
It's covered in beautiful wood.
Here's the second-floor entry. This view makes it seem as if you're looking through a glass window with words on it, but that's an illusion.
It becomes clearer as you walk down the hall.
See, it's on the wall. Message received. FOCUS!
The third-floor cafeteria is lovely.
Here's a list of all the sources where the cafeteria gets its food. It's a little like a "Portlandia" sketch, but on the other hand it's nice to know where your food is coming from. It's not made in a factory somewhere.
If you haven't seen the "Portlandia" sketch about the locally sourced chicken, you can watch it here.
There are also signs reminding employees to be conscious about wasting food and the water that produces that food.
There's also a fitness center, which is a nice perk though not uncommon in big tech companies these days.
You get a nice view as you work out.
This kitchen would make me think of Coldplay every time I entered it.
Here's a vending machine if you need new gear to do your job. We've seen these at Facebook also, but the screen in the middle of the LinkedIn logo is a nice touch.
Employees can play a game of cornhole to blow off steam.
Now we start getting into the really unusual stuff. Each floor has something called a "staff wall" that encourages employees to interact with one another. Here's one that lets them fill in words like Mad Libs.
A giant backgammon board.
Employees can borrow any of the books here. LinkedIn stocked these, but the company is hoping that over time it will turn into a lending library.
This one is on the fourth floor, which has a theme of "Obscure San Francisco Parks." Employees are encouraged to post pictures of themselves in parks, but it's being used for all kinds of random snapshots.
This is on the 12th floor, which has a theme of "Video games set in San Francisco." Employees are encouraged to take a picture of themselves dressed as a video game character — cameras are provided and costumes encouraged — then post it with info about characteristics like their humor, endurance, and so on.
There's also a wall commemorating the games themselves.
Another wall is full of video game controllers.
Here's a bin of fortune cookies, with a bulletin board for the fortunes.
Here's a silent disco — a bunch of people can listen to the same song and groove together without disrupting the office. Uber had a whole holiday party based on this concept last year.
Here is a map inviting employees to share where they have traveled, where they were born, and so on.
This display is on the fifth floor, which has the theme "San Francisco Coffee Roasters." Employees are supposed to place their mug shots in the ... mugs.
Here you can "create your avatar" by using dry-erase pens to add personal touches to the avatars on the wall.
Best of all: a roof deck to soak in the California sun.
Here's the view toward downtown San Francisco. We're watching you, LinkedIn.
Lastly, a view the other way, toward the bay.
