In a nearby suburb of Seattle, Washington, lies a city within a town. Its name? Microsoft Headquarters, Redmond (called “the campus” by employees). This summer, I had the opportunity of visiting the fascinating corporate enclave. While there, I was able to check out certain parts of the campus and get in touch with a Microsoft employee, who provided interesting insight on the Microsoft lifestyle, campus fun facts, and company dynamics.
The Redmond campus, the primary headquarters of Microsoft, is sprawling to say the least. With a total of 25,000 employees split between over a hundred separate buildings, the headquarters represents the power and might of Microsoft. Judging from how many people work there, the Microsoft headquarters could nearly be considered a small city. For reference, the population of Ithaca is 31,000 (as recorded by the United States Census Bureau). Imagine if nearly everybody in Ithaca only worked for one employer—it would be quite a sight to behold!
Given how large the campus was, one might have expected it to look like an excessively optimized machine crammed with uptight and uncomfortable employees. Such an assumption would be wrong. In fact, as an outsider, Microsoft’s campus looked surprisingly cozy and laid-back. It wasn’t uncommon to see employees relaxed, chatting with each other outside about topics both technical and nontechnical, nor was it rare to see coworkers catch up with each other in one of the many cafés that could be found on the campus. Though the scale of the campus was certainly impressive, I found it spread out enough that the environment was never truly overwhelming. But one clue gave away the massive span of the campus: the building numbers.
When I exited my Uber ride at Microsoft HQ, I was looking for Building 115. One-one-five—an unbelievable number and one that I thought to be arbitrary at first. Braving the biting winds, I sat down at a small table outside and only then began to contemplate how large the campus really was. It’s almost deceptive. Looking around, I noticed the low-rise buildings, many similar in appearance, that were around me. Meanwhile, a conversation unfolded a couple yards away between two employees decked out in button-down shirts. At least they weren’t just wearing a T-shirt like I was!
Before long, I was directed towards a building across from me that functioned as the visitor center. Inside was a modern, minimalistic lobby complete with cozy chairs for guests and employees alike. Just as I was making myself comfortable in one of the plush seats, I was told to go to the check-in counter on the other side of the room. There, I was greeted by a friendly man whose style was undoubtedly hipster. I was asked for some specifics about why I was at the office, and before long, a machine at the desk fabricated a visitor ID card for me. After a couple of minutes of hanging around, I left the building and was herded into one of Microsoft’s campus cafés, Bold Expresso Station (also called Ctrl + B, a pun on a common computer shortcut for bolding characters). The café was relatively small, but it served the only two things hardcore engineers need: coffee and pastries. Immediately noticeable beside the cafe was a spacious seating area with a view of countless vibrant evergreens. I was very happy with what Microsoft was able to do with its campus cafe, though I was mildly irritated by the lack of easy access to a visitor WiFi network. Though I wished I could curl up in the café for the rest of the day, I soon realized I had a meeting to catch. Springing up from the cushioned chair I was sitting on, I dashed for the door and made my way to Building 115, the final destination of my odyssey.
At long last, there it was, Building 115. Its external facade was nothing out of the ordinary, but when I saw the name embossed on the building, I knew I had come to the right place. Once there, I was led upstairs to the building’s cubicle space by the assistant who was helping me throughout my visit. The workspace stood out to me as homey, friendly, and unlike a stereotypical office. I met with Microsoft employee Ben Rudolph in the lounge adjacent to the office space, which featured a series of booths complemented by a kitchen space sporting a refrigerator, fruit-infused water, and, believe it or not, a cooler full of all sorts of refreshments, including free Vita Coco coconut water, diet soda, and seltzer.
A smooth and cordial man whose sartorial tastes reflected the theme of relaxed yet distinguished common throughout Microsoft’s campus (he was dressed in a striking combination of everyday clothes and what appeared to be the iconic Rolex Submariner), Rudolph started off by describing his role in Microsoft. He talked about his position and what being a senior member of Microsoft’s journalism department entails. In short, Microsoft has a news program (aptly named Microsoft News) that features intelligently computer-curated news. Its goal is to deliver relevant and high-quality articles compiled from a variety of leading publications. After introducing his field, Rudolph covered some of the technological nuts and bolts that make Microsoft News effective, in addition to some experimental technologies they were testing out to make the user experience even better.
Toward the end of our conversation, we talked about some neat features of Microsoft’s Redmond campus. As it turns out, Microsoft headquarters is home to the record-holding quietest room in the world. Though I sadly did not get the opportunity to test it out, I heard from Rudolph that the room is eerily quiet—so much so that your body’s senses get thrown off and you start to feel nauseous if you stand in there with the lights off for even half a minute.
Alas, not all fun experiences last forever. As the evening drew closer, I had to head back. Saying thanks to Ben Rudolph, I left Building 115 after grabbing a handful of Microsoft swag and pulled out my phone to hail a ride. Hopping into another Uber, I waved goodbye to Microsoft campus and began the journey back to my accommodation. With the help of Ben Rudolph and his Microsoft News team, I was able to get a glimpse of what the Microsoft lifestyle is like. Though there were some experiences I missed out on (I was particularly bummed to not be able to experience the silent room), I suppose that only leaves more for when I revisit Redmond. Until next time, Microsoft!