Life at Facebook is quite cool.

Locations: some prominent ones in the United States are Menlo Park, Seattle, Austin, New York. Headquarters are in Menlo Park and is the biggest office.

Culture: Some standard tech stuff: snacks everywhere, open office culture, start work whenever you need to as long as you get your work done, lots of autonomy and control over your projects. One big aspect is that Facebook is a highly mission-driven organization to connect the world rather than a ‘process’ driven organization. This permeates the organization. You are judged by impact and not how much ‘effort’ you put in.

People: Mostly quite smart and competent. Lots of really cool people too. For example the guy who invented the shake shack burger is the chef of the NY office.

Perks: Which brings me to perks. All the meals. Fitness benefit every year. Relocation. These are all great, but not so different than any other silicon valley company.

Here are some pictures! http://www.businessinsider.com/photo-tour-of-facebook-headquarters-2014-4

In addition, you might find my daily schedule interesting:

• Heads into office around 8.30am

Some of my team get in around 11am, and others in the afternoon

• Might go to the Gym

Facebook perk: $5 for a 1 hour group fitness class. Typically $35.

• Arrives in at 9.30am

• Eats breakfast

Facebook perk: culinary team cooks amazing food. This team was acquired from eleven madison park, from a 3 michelin star restaurant. Funny note: The head chef invented the shake shack burger.

• Heads to desk and starts working

Note: I block off the morning before Menlo Park (Facebook HQ in SF) comes online as large chunks of time to do his coding work. As I like to say, “Head down. Wired in. Just crushing it.”

• Noon = Lunch

You are spoilt for choice, you either i) go back to the chef team’s place; or ii) eat a plethora of different New York food that is, again, provided free by Facebook. This is all provided within the premise, without even having to leave the building.

• After lunch, goes into a daily stand up with team

• Then for the duration of the afternoon I will have back-to-back meetings with all sorts of different teams at Facebook, many back at Menlo Park.

As a consequence, personal output/coding will slow down due to the interruptions. However, the work I do here is important and typically higher level.

• 3pm - The Cookie Hunt

The culinary team hides a plate of hot cookies somewhere in the office. In order to get some you have to find them.

• Back to the grind - on a day-to-day this period will alternate from either coding or meetings.

• 6pm - Dinner

Eat dinner, again, supplied by Facebook.

• If I’m smashed with work, I will stay and crank out some more work in the office. If not, I will go home.

Other Notes:

1. On Thursdays the office will kick into happy hour at 4pm with again a perk (free drinks).

2. Mondays I play Volleyball - Facebook has a team in a recreational league.