What Do All of the Social Media Giants Have in Common?

California
is home to the largest tech companies in the world. When it comes to social
media, these companies dominate the field: YouTube (Google-owned), Facebook,
Pinterest, Twitter and LinkedIn. These companies are massive, large-scale
entities that have become an integral part of everyday life.

When you see
someone on their phone, there’s a good chance that they have one of these
companies’ apps running in the background sending them notifications.

But these
companies are vastly different while also being very similar.

What do they
all have in common?

Apparently, it’s creative and inspiring workplace
designs and interior signs which are common in all these
headquarters in California.

Work environment has led to many of these
companies growing and exceling. It’s the little things that matter when trying
to push developers and workers to be more productive.

What do the work environments at these California
companies look like?

Inside Facebook

Inspiration has helped Facebook grow into the
largest social media platform in the world. Mark Zuckerberg’s humble beginnings
are long behind him, and the Facebook headquarters is nothing short
of impressive.

You may imagine that there are cubicles or wall
dividers, but the company’s office is open, allowing for all employees to mingle
and collaborate.

Cafeterias are present, and “Town Square” reminds
me of walking through a park. Bright lighting is provided with ample windows,
and signage can be seen splashed in the interior walls. The company used to
have signage with “Break Things” and “Hack” written all over it.

Bikes are available along with laundry service,
and fun, highly decorated offices that use art for inspiration.

Zuckerberg’s office is right in the middle of the
building.

The Menlo Park Campus was designed to be
eco-friendly and connective.

Inside YouTube

YouTube, owned by Google, is in San Bruno and is currently being re-envisioned.
The office has a massive park, and the company had plans to integrate the park
with the community. The plans may have been interrupted after a shooter
entering the campus, but it would allow for an open campus, which is popular in
Silicon Valley companies.

But the interior of the office is fun, and the
lobby house has a large wall that plays all of YouTube’s trending videos.

Open areas and communal spaces exist, and
employees from all levels sit together and work together. Natural lighting is
used throughout the building to make it feel cozy and warm.

BrandLab is where the fun begins and has large
signage with beautiful décor. Lights hang from the ceiling, there are
comfortable chairs with pillows on them, and wooden walls are present. When
brands come in to tell their story, they’ll enter the space with the large
“What’s Your Story?” signage.

The headquarters also has a full-length indoor
pool, fitness center, personal trainers (paid by the company), and bikes and
scooters to take to meetings.

Inside Pinterest

Pinterest is not as well-funded as Google or
Facebook, but their interior is fun, exciting and inviting. When you enter the
space, you’ll find an old, red telephone booth that looks like it stepped out
of a classic London movie.

The workspace is “zen,” with oversized chairs,
pillows and appealing décor throughout.

After all, Pinterest is the place to go for
interior design ideas.

A large, movie-like sign greets you with the
words “Welcome to Pinterest,” and the space is open and bright. You’ll find
large signage on most walls, and an array of couches are also present in the
lobby.

Extensive use of colors makes the space vibrant,
and it’s not uncommon to see a lot of upcycling taking place. The lobby has a
beautiful, rolling table made out of what looked like an old pallet.

Large windows are, of course, a part of
Pinterest’s interior, allowing for ample natural light to hit the workspaces of
employees. Smaller tables with bar stools also allow workers to have the privacy
they need when trying to zone-in on the day’s work.

The workplace of Pinterest is a lot of fun, and
it’s one of the spaces that feels a lot less like “work” than the competition.
Pins have become a part of everyday life. While the company may not offer the
perks of the other social media giants, they definitely did well with the
interior design of their building.

Inside LinkedIn

LinkedIn has amazing offices in California and
New York. The California office is massive at 440,000 square feet, and the
design is more “professional” than the competition. We’re not saying the office
isn’t fun, because it is, but you’ll find a lot of closed spaces that you
wouldn’t find in the other spaces we’ve mentioned.

But then you’ll enter the Breakout Space, with
fun red, blocked chairs, or you’ll find the “relax zone,” which has city views,
beautiful windows and games to play.

Work pods are comfortable, spacious and also
offer beautiful views of the city.

Less signage is present in the building, but it’s
still used in many places. Near the work pods, you’ll find the signage stating:
“Be Open, Honest & Constructive.”

The Creative Wall includes an array of colors,
fun designs and a Pac Man mural.

Special zones are set aside for collaboration,
and there’s also a very modern kitchen for workers to sit down and eat. Meeting
spaces with views of the city are available along with very “square” furniture,
from small seats to large couches.

The terrace is a spectacular space with wooden
benches, comfortable seats, large LinkedIn signage and views for miles.

Tech giants have turned their massive
headquarters into campuses, or even mini cities where everything an employee
could want is at their fingertips. Perks for working at these major companies
are different from one office to the next, but many enjoy chef-made meals,
laundry service, snacks, sleeping pods and a variety of other perks to keep
employee retention high.

When it comes to working for tech companies,
there are thousands of employees entering the space every day, working together
and being guided through the office with wonderful signage and décor.

Natural light is common, and these workspaces
also incorporate “fun” areas where employees can kick back and enjoy some
much-needed downtime.