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Google, Tesla, and Facebook Attract 'Hordes of Tech Tourists' To Their Headquarters (siliconvalley.com)
An anonymous Slashdot reader writes:
"We just came from Oracle, then we go to HP, Google; we're going to do Tesla, Intel, eBay and Yahoo. And Apple, I forgot Apple..." says one San Francisco resident, describing a tour he's providing for his friend from Tokyo. In fact, Silicon Valley's iconic tech companies have discovered tourists are now dropping in on their headquarters. "It was nice to walk between the buildings, take some pictures and see the employees enjoy their lunch break," wrote one visitor to Google's campus, before complaining that Google hadn't also provided them with bathroom access. "We got told not to use the Google bikes as they are for employees only, which was a bit of a shame," another visitor complained.
"Hundreds of people a day visit the Facebook sign and Google's Android sculpture garden in Mountain View," reports the Bay Area Newsgroup, "with many stopping at other tech giants as well, snapping photos and shooting video..." In fact, Tesla, Apple, Facebook, and Google have all now installed stores where tourists can purchase branded merchandise. (Google sells figurines of their Android mascot for $15). "What you're seeing are people on a pilgrimage..." said Stanford communications professor Fred Turner. "Folks are looking for a physical place behind the kind of dematerialized experience that they have online."
Intel has its own museum, and the Los Altos garage where Steve Jobs started Apple has even been designated a historic site. Are there any other historic tech sites that should be preserved to inspire future generations of tourists?
"Hundreds of people a day visit the Facebook sign and Google's Android sculpture garden in Mountain View," reports the Bay Area Newsgroup, "with many stopping at other tech giants as well, snapping photos and shooting video..." In fact, Tesla, Apple, Facebook, and Google have all now installed stores where tourists can purchase branded merchandise. (Google sells figurines of their Android mascot for $15). "What you're seeing are people on a pilgrimage..." said Stanford communications professor Fred Turner. "Folks are looking for a physical place behind the kind of dematerialized experience that they have online."
Intel has its own museum, and the Los Altos garage where Steve Jobs started Apple has even been designated a historic site. Are there any other historic tech sites that should be preserved to inspire future generations of tourists?
The Computer History Museum is on Shoreline Drive, a couple of blocks from the Googleplex. It has public bathrooms. Check the website for hours. The building was built for Silicon Graphics' Marketing department. The Googleplex was the Silicon Graphics' Engineering building. Also in the neighborhood is Microsoft and LinkedIn.
I have personal experience as a Google employee regarding tourists, and I can share some of it.
As a rule, we don't mind tourists at all. We're used to it. Everybody wants to "visit Google" and take pictures next to Google logos. For most part, tourists don't cause big problems, but there are some exceptions.
The first problem is the bikes. Yes, it may seem obvious to many, but the bikes are the property of Google for exclusive use by employees. Unfortunately, some tourists don't get the idea. I used to work in a somewhat remote building and used bikes to come to main campus for lunch and meetings. Many times, I couldn't find a bike to go back, while 10-20 tourists are riding around in them. I once saw a huge number of tourists get off a bus straight into bikes and ride in every direction, across the streets, across the parking lots, etc. Bad idea and lack of consideration.
Speaking of buses, that's another problem. Tour bus driver will park anywhere. There's a lot of people in the Google Campus, and some places get VERY crowded during rush hour, because that's where the Google commuter buses stop to pick passengers. It's not uncommon to have tour buses *park* at those stops, throwing the whole thing into chaos. I once (nicely) asked one driver if he could move a bit forward, since it was raining and he was parked right in the middle of a 3-bus loading spot. He just plain ignored me as if I was not there.
Oh, and for some reason, tourists just don't seem to realize that a green colored lane with bike signs painted all over it are bike lanes and walk all over it, forcing you to bike around people on the sidewalks.
There's also the issue of "employee sponsored tourism". We all have friends and acquaintances who want to know Google, and we all bring people in once in a while. The problem happens when people don't control their guests. At Charlie's (the biggest and most popular cafe), it's common to have people bring their entire families for lunch (including in-laws), especially those coming from cultures where family ties are strong. Many of these visitors don't realize that they are entering a work environment. It's terrible when I'm looking to wolf down a lunch in a hurry because I'm oncall and I have to wait in line at the coke machine for 10 minutes because a bunch of people can't decide what they want, or waste time looking for a seat because tourists "pre-selected" seats in the restaurant by dropping their purses and belongings (which is discouraged internally).
All in all, it's not much of a burden to employees, and more of a positive than negative experience, but speaking from the inside, it has the potential to suck at times.