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Salesforce moved into a new $1 billion skyscraper in San Francisco, and the offices are unlike anything we've seen
Salesforce moved into a new $1 billion skyscraper in San Francisco, and the offices are unlike anything we've seen
Melia RobinsonMay 23, 2018, 23:15 IST
Melia Robinson/Business Insider
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There's no place like home. That is, unless you work in the newly opened Salesforce Tower in San Francisco, where employees at Salesforce's new global headquarters may never want to leave.
The building, the tallest office tower west of the Mississippi River, opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the who's who of San Francisco grandees on Tuesday. The event marked the culmination of a decades-long building and planning process for the $1.1 billion skyscraper.
Business Insider went inside Salesforce Tower to see what it's like to work there. Take a look.
Salesforce Tower rises 61 stories over San Francisco's Transbay district, a downtown center that's starting to get crowded with marquee tech companies including Facebook and LinkedIn.
It's next-door neighbors with San Francisco's tilting, sinking skyscraper, Millennium Tower.
Salesforce Tower was originally named Transbay Tower, but the enterprise giant bought the naming rights in a landmark real-estate deal. Salesforce will pay the developer Boston Properties close to $560 million over 15 and a half years to lease 30 floors at the building.
Although it dominates San Francisco's skyline, Salesforce Tower isn't breaking any height records.
Some of the floors at the 1,070-foot tower are still under construction. We took the elevator to the eighth floor, where Salesforce employees have moved in and made themselves at home.
People sit in rows of desks, which can be adjusted for any height. The color of the carpeting is meant to evoke pebbled paths for walkways and grassy areas for employee seating.
There are no desks fleshed against the walls, which a Salesforce spokesperson says is to maximize the amount of natural light coming into the room. The windows stretch 10 feet tall.
Salesforce Tower has a slender, tapering silhouette with curved corners. These nooks provide the perfect spot for a small team meeting or coffee with a company mentor.
We noticed these weird skateboard-looking things stacked in one corner.
They're for the taking! Employees might use the boards as makeshift desks if they want to work from a common area, which typically has comfy seating and snacks located nearby.
A spokesperson says the seating areas on every floor are located where the views are best.
The eighth floor provides a stunning view of the rooftop park above the Transbay Transit Center, which features winding footpaths and botanical gardens. It's still under construction.
Salesforce Tower doesn't have a dining hall — a staple of most big tech campuses. A spokesperson says this was deliberate; the company wants to encourage employees to step outside and buy lunch from one of the many restaurants and stores in the neighborhood.
Still, the kitchen comes stocked with fresh fruit, coffee, and sodas.
The kitchen and lounge area felt more like someone's living room than an employee lounge.
The media center contained books on mindfulness and "compassionate capitalism."
These bobbleheads of Salesforce founders Parker Harris and Marc Benioff smiled on employees.
Thanks to the several photos of monks on the walls of the eighth floor, the office felt more like Benioff's living room than anything else. The CEO is a big fan of meditation and mindfulness.
Every floor at Salesforce Tower has a meditation room, where employees can seek a moment of zen. There are floor pillows and books on mindfulness for instruction and inspiration.
An iPad plays guided meditations that last between five and 20 minutes three times an hour.
Employees can leave their digital devices at the door.
What struck us most about the new Salesforce Tower is how "un-techy" it felt.
The company did away with the modern, minimalist design that's favored at big tech campuses like those of Google and Facebook, in favor of a homey, relaxed vibe.
Welcome to your new global headquarters, Salesforce!
