Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
thinkvitamin.com
Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
1–10 of 73 posts
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#237signals' office seems to say, "You're in, you're out." Fried has, on multiple occasions, suggested that offices are the downfall of work. You're more productive in your natural environment. Their office seems to reflect that: You come in to work, quickly and efficiently, and then you leave and head home to get your real work done.
In contrast, Zappos' office seems to say, "You're already home."
[edit] It's also worth pointing out that these companies are employing very different people. Zappos has a huge focus on customer service, and their "people friendly" office reflects that. The engineers and designers at 37signals, however, very well may appreciate the minimalism and simplicity of their environment.
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#3I like the Zappos approach - in theory.
However (and maybe I'm a control freak) the imposed clutter of the Zappos office would drive me nuts! No place to think and concentrate because of a constant barrage of visual noise.
Similarly, in theory I also like my roommate.
But some of the mess he imposes on my life drives me mad.
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#4Your office ≠ your product
Not sure this is true. I think it has to do with culture. I'm sure a lot of the adjectives one would use to describe 37signals's office could also be used to describe the company and/or their products.
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#5Office design should reflect what the employees in the office are trying to accomplish. As a developer, all of that crazy stuff in Zappos' office would be a huge distraction to me. I haven't checked, but I'd be a little surprised if developers' cubes/offices were as over-the-top at Zappos as those for their customer service reps.
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#6I wouldn't want to work in Zappos's office. It just doesn't look appealing to me at all. On the other hand, the 37s offices feel cool. The Zappos offices are Office Space-like cubicles covered in random crap. The 37s offices send a very different message; if you're going to work in an office (hopefully, not all the time), I'd much rather be in that environment.
I think it comes down to this: the style of the 37s offices (like many other designed offices) is more like what I see when I think of the "future". And I'd much rather be living and working in the future than cubes covered in random crap.
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#7The Zappos pictures make me think of someone getting called in "we need to talk about your flair".
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#8What a reflction of the attitudes of each company towards their customers. Zappos is all about coming down to the level of their users and having fun with them. 37Signals has finally built their ivory tower, and they want customers to think of their product as a door into that tower.
If they were political parties, Zappos would be the FDR Democrats and 37Signals would be the Libertarians.
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#9[deleted]
Re: Office comparison: 37signals vs Zappos
#10I would like to see what the 37signals office looks like after a year.