Silicon Valley Notepad: Lunch at Facebook -- and plans for domination

Updated

The first thing I noticed was the dearth of parking spaces at Facebook world headquarters in Palo Alto, California. I drove to the top lot. Full up. I drove down to the lower lots, where visitors are not really supposed to park. After losing out in stare-off battles with a few FB employees, I finally nailed a spot almost at the back of the lot. The last time I've seen a parking lot like this was . . . Google before the IPO.

At the reception desk, I'm asked if I'm coming just for lunch or for a meeting. I reply "Both" and sneak a peppermint chocolate candy from the bowl sitting on the desk. Refrigerators with water and soft drinks stand in the lobby for visitors. Once I'm allowed through the door into the open area where hundreds of employees sit, I can't help but notice the significant number of 22- and 24-inch LCD monitors perched on desks. I learn that these desks do not even belong to engineers. So this is clearly not a company that is worried about spending money, by any conventional standard.

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