A Board Member's Dumbest Thought
In 2003, Keith Rabois sat on his first board ever. The CEO said he was going to personally tour five office options.
Rabois thought it was insane. The CEO of a company wasting time on real estate tours? That seemed like the worst possible use of a founder's time.
I thought it was insane for a CEO to personally look at offices. I was dead wrong.
Your Office Is Your Culture Made Physical
The environment you put people in dictates how they act. Period. This isn't some soft HR talking point.
When Rabois joined Khosla Ventures in 2013, the vibe of the office sealed the deal. Relaxing but tasteful. Obsessive about details. It matched the culture perfectly.
The environment you're in dictates how you behave. It's not just about the work — it's about the space.
There's No Single Right Office. There's Your Office.
You don't need the fanciest space in town. But your space needs to match who you are.
Frugal company? Frugal office. Design-driven company? Every detail matters. At Square, the office reflected the design obsession that ran through every product they shipped.
An office that contradicts your values is a culture leak you can't patch.
The Details Score Takes Care of Itself
Rabois believes in Bill Walsh's philosophy: the score takes care of itself when you nail the details. Office design is one of those details.
CEOs who delegate this decision miss the point. The office is one of the few things every single employee experiences every single day.
Your office is the most visible decision you make about culture. Don't hand it off.