DESIGN, BUSINESS & INNOVATION: Googledome or temple of doom?

Image via The Economist.

Interesting short article in The Economist about the Sillicon Valley compulsion of building massive HQs that increasingly look less like office buildings and more like monuments to the ego of the new tech pharaohs. "Marc Andreessen knows a thing or two about Silicon Valley’s penchant for status symbols and its braggadocio. As a venture capitalist and serial entrepreneur, he has helped turn more than a few minnows into high-tech giants. As an investor, he serves these days on the boards of Facebook and Hewlett-Packard, among others. Along with avoiding such cardinal sins as going public too soon and being too eager to cash out, Mr Andreessen is adamant that his charges must refrain, at all cost, from pouring huge sums into glamorous new headquarters.The compulsion to build monuments to a ruler’s power and prestige has existed since history began. But flush with cash and with interest rates near zero, Silicon Valley’s leading lights are now competing with each other over who can build the most lavish digs, to feed their corporate egos as well as to attract and retain talent." Read full article in The Economist. E.T.P. 3'