The designer of Google's luxurious Silicon Valley campus says it's really not a good thing for employees to work at a place that has catered meals, private parks, massage tables and a laundromat ... because why would you ever leave?
NPR.ORG
Architect behind Googleplex now says it's 'dangerous' to work at such a posh office
Clive Wilkinson says it's really not a
For more than three decades, Clive Wilkinson has been among the most sought-after office designers in the world. He has planned spaces for the likes of Microsoft, Disney, Intuit and other companies seeking unorthodox approaches to work life.
But he now has regrets about what is perhaps his most famous work: Googleplex, the tech giant's posh headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.
Wilkinson helped lay out Google's campus after winning its design competition in 2004, leading him to work directly with Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
"Larry and Sergey said at the time, 'We don't really have any reference point but the Stanford campus model,' " said Wilkinson.
In Mountain View, what emerged was a maze of well-lit nooks, bleachers and clubhouse rooms to encourage collaboration. The office would also become famous for its amenities: Gourmet meals. Fitness classes. Organic gardens. Massage rooms. Laundry services. Private parks. Volleyball courts. Swimming pools. And so on.
But looking back, Wilkinson thinks Google's luxurious on-site perks have made workers too dependent on the company, a situation he calls "dangerous."
Roman Villa With Caravaggio Mural Fails to Attract a Single Bidder at Auction
By
V.L. Hendrickson Updated Jan. 20, 2022 10:18 am ET
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The villa has a 16th-century Caravaggio painting of Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto, the only known ceiling mural by the Baroque artist.
GETTY IMAGESWhat’s been billed as the most expensive home in the world—a Roman villa complete with the only known ceiling mural by Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio priced at €471 million (US$534.3 million)—failed to find a buyer, or even a bidder, at auction on Tuesday.
The auction, handled by the Italian government, received zero bids, confirmed Camillo Verde, a court representative for the sale. The minimum bid was €353.25 million, with the minimum raise being €1 million, according to the listing.
“The next one will take place on April 7 at 2 p.m. [in Rome], with the basic auction price of €376.8 million, with a minimum bid of €282.6 million,” Mr. Verde said in an email. The €1 million minimum to raise the bid has not changed.
An aerial view of the villa.
Google MapsDuring an ill-fated renovation of the home, the mural was covered over, only to be rediscovered in 1968 when peeling paint revealed a face on the ceiling that looked much like the artist, according to a 2010 New York Times article. When it was uncovered, they found not only the mural, but also discovered Caravaggio had used himself as a model for the faces of the three gods.
In addition to the Caravaggio, there are nine other ceilings created by artists of the time, including one by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, also known as just Guercino. The villa takes its name from his fresco “Aurora,” which shows the Roman goddess throwing flowers from a chariot as the sun rises.
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The artwork at the home, which also includes statues dating to 500 B.C., had a “conservative” estimated value of €670 million in 2010, The New York Times article said.
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