Microsoft Silicon Valley Experience Center

I certainly did not expect to be taking a tour of the 643,000 sq ft, 2,000 employees, 2021 AIA COTE Top Ten Award state-of-the-art facility that was going to leave a lasting impression through a multi-sensory + immersive environment encompassing touchpoints on products and wonderful connections.

The entire tour provided 3 different experiences, and I wanted to highlight each one. The start of the entire tour provided a journey into the atrium which showcased a glimpse into the technology and architecture. We all went into the theatre to better understand the agenda and learn from the experts in charge of this beautiful facility.

1. First stop: The Campus Tour. A chance to use a flight simulator that I naturally volunteered to engage in, a nice touchpoint to see the tech and computing power behind this place. We then walked through this immaculate architectural wonder (engaged SIGHT) designed by WRNS Studio. Filled with coffee shops, areas to work in, a rooftop with botanicals and local plants (engaging SMELL) to not disturb the ecology, a full onsite juice bar, and a fitness center. Thank you Jacob Glindo!

Lunch - a culinary experience (engaged TASTE) that only uses food and restaurants sourced within 100 miles. Thank you to Cindy (Michael) Baccetti and the chefs/teams.

2. Second stop: The Garage. Linda Thackeray shared insights into this phenomenon that has grown within the tech field. From hackathons to building community and innovation. The Garage brings the largest hackathon on the planet to life. This was the birthplace of some creative consumer-facing products that have helped shape products such as Xbox Game Studios Publishing "Doers not Talkers"

3. Third stop. Immersive Experiences. Pedro Rivera granted us the epitome of going through multiple experiences that demo products and new technology (engaging TOUCH). From autonomous intelligence using an air hockey table, Quantum computing, Copilot for Sales learning, Zabka for cloud-based retail, and partnerships with GitHub among others.

Thank you to John Payes for this truly curated journey throughout the Experience Center along with Kelly Ruspil Victor Fuentes Pedro Rivera and David Rogers

What an incredible wonder of architecture, aesthetics, immersion, and multi-sensory that drives home the pillars of Microsoft - amazing all around!!