In startupland, a swanky, envy-inducing office space is a common perk. Even in Manhattan, where prime real estate is hard to come by, tech companies have turned their office floors into immaculately designed spaces that put cubicle farms to shame.
Between Animoto’s Game of Thrones room, Stack Overflow’s sweeping views of New York City's skyline, JW Player’s virtual reality space and Bankrate's flexible seating accommodations, these offices are some of the coolest offices we’ve seen lately.
Stack Overflow provides a platform where software developers can learn from each other by sharing their own knowledge. The website helps developers solve coding problems and find expert answers to their questions. We caught up with Jill Ciaccia, Stack Overflow's Office Manager to find out the details behind the amazing space.
How many employees work at the office?
Our New York City headquarters is home to 115 amazing employees. In any given day though, we have remote employees stay with us which bumps up the number!
How big is the space?
We occupy 2.5 floors, which is about 19,000 square feet.
When did you move in?
Approximately 4 years ago.
What's your favorite part of the space?
Our 28th floor is full of favorites — from the coffee lounge to drop down screens where we can stream films and sports. There is a snack wall and lunchroom with a seemingly endless supply of goodies! Which perk is tops is highly debated.
Is there anything unique about your office you'd like to share?
We at Stack do our best to make every inch welcoming and accessible for employees and visitors alike. We take pride in our
diversity!
JW Player pioneered video on the web, and back in 2008 they were the world's first open source video player. Today, they've grown up and have customers spanning the globe from 193 countries. Tim Gray, JW Player's Communications and Public Relations Director, spoke to us about the ins and outs of the company's office.
How many employees work at the office?
166
How big is the space?
27,501 square feet.
When did you move in?
June 6, 2016
What's your favorite part of the space?
Located inside the iconic 2 Park Avenue building, a landmarked Art Deco skyscraper built in the 1920s, JW Player’s modernist office space offers a unique and pleasing juxtaposition to the building’s earlier era architecture. With an open floor plan that has East, North and West facing windows, the tenth-floor space is bright and incredibly warming.
Is there anything unique about your office you'd like to share?
In the middle of the space is a 2,000-square foot common area where team members can gather for lunch, ping pong tournaments, virtual reality gaming, beer club, or just to enjoy the comfortable lounge chairs and couches. It’s also a fantastic place to get some work done when the crowds have moved on.
Bankrate helps people make financial decisions. They aggregate financial rate information and help people make the best choices in financial situations. We caught up with Bankrate's Director of Talent Acquisition Mark Nies to find out what makes the office so special.
How many employees work at the office?
110.
How big is the space?
The whole 22nd floor of the building.
When did you move in?
September 6, 2016
What's your favorite part of the space?
The café, game room and huddle spaces, as well as the conference rooms.
Is there anything unique about your office you'd like to share?
The space is very well designed with state of the art equipment and technologies. Each workstation raises and lowers for standing and sitting.
Animoto's software makes make it simple, quick and cost-effective for businesses to create professional videos, specifically geared towards audiences on social media. The company's beautiful, open office is situated in the center of Astor Place, and even has a Game of Thrones-themed room for employees to conference in. We chatted with Head of Animoto for Business Cynthia Knapic to learn more about the space.
How big is the space?
Our office is approximately 15,000 square feet and we've got about 80 people working here.
When did you move in?
We moved into the space in 2012.
What's your favorite part of the space? Our favorite part of the space has got to be our brand new Game of Thrones-inspired Throne Room. A group of die-hard Game of Thrones fans on our team got together and designed and built it themselves during our bi-annual hackathon (we call it Hackimoto). The design of our office reflects the personalities and interests of our team, and that's something we really pride ourselves on.
Images via Anthony Sodd and featured companies.
