Our Tour Guide's Title Was "Culture Outlaw"

Silicon Valley back in the mid-late '90s was nothing short of a modern day Gold Rush. Money and opportunity were everywhere. People barely old enough to legally celebrate their instant wealth were buying cars and houses and fancy lives with confidence that the Fully Vested Stock Option Train would never derail.

Rob and I didn't get to directly participate in the Dot Com Boom but it was all around us. We were part of conversations about "angel money" and IPOs and the infuriating Alternative Minimum Tax. We had friends who went on "ship trips" when their software company shipped out their latest version to the masses. And by "ship trip" I mean everyone went on a multi-day cruise to Mexico.

One day in 1998, I had a co-worker whose husband's start-up company went public in the morning. By 10am, the new stock's price was soaring. By noon, the entire department was having a nice lunch on the new multi-millionaire and she resigned on the spot with eight-figure giddiness. I never saw her again.

These memories of a heady lifetime ago came whooshing back last week while Rob and I were touring the headquarters of a fabulous online retailer. Zappos.com started off just selling shoes, but it has expanded to all sorts of clothing, cosmetics, and accessories. I am a huge fan and frequent shopper. With free shipping both ways, easy returns, and the extreme comfort of trying stuff on in my own home, I do quite a bit of my shopping on Zappos.com. And no, I am not a paid endorsement. I truly like them that much.

Our Zapponian tour guide was a lively guy named Paco who had only been with the company for 8 months. Prior to that, his career was as a museum curator. In fact, Zappos hired him to be in charge of the company's history, archives, and commemorative t-shirt collection. At the ripe old age of 14 years, it's about time, Zappos.

The tour took us through various corporate departments, the call center, and the cafeteria. We saw the office of the on-site Life Coach and heard rumors of The Nap Room. There was no dress code and literally no barriers. Everyone had the same desk configuration without any walls. Decorations and personal touches were encouraged if not demanded by peer pressure. Even the company's CEO had an open desk alongside the other two founders of the company (the trio known affectionately as The Monkees). The only employees with office walls and doors were the corporate attorneys.

The cafeteria was spacious and had outdoor seating with comfy couches. Food was free. There were also snack bars throughout the offices, stocked with healthy and not-so-healthy goodies...also free. Paco admitted he was already 15 pounds into his Zappos 20, the average girth increase for new hires the first year.

Toys were sprinkled around, and as we passed through a courtyard a four-square game was underway. We also got the impression that alcohol consumption is somehow part of the Zappos culture. It was confirmed when the tour surprised a trio of Zapponians raiding a well-stocked liquor cabinet. A bit flustered by their audience but nonetheless undeterred, the women explained they were on a deadline and needed some "inspiration" as they ducked into a conference room with glasses and a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin.

The other folks on our tour were a team from a local bank hoping to learn how to liven up their corporate culture. It was great fun to watch their eyes bug out and their jaws drop as they witnessed a work place that seemed more like recess. I was tempted, so very tempted, to mention a different take on all the fun and frivolity but I didn't have the heart. But having seen friends and family work in similarly carefree environments 15 years ago in Silicon Valley, I knew there was a cost that wasn't readily apparent.

The on-site dry cleaners, car detailers, dentists, and hair salons? The Nap Rooms and comfy couches? The free food available round-the-clock? The company concierge to help procure gifts for friends and family? Yes, they are all very convenient...to help keep you at work.

The expectation with cultures like these seems to be to blur the line between work and life, to mesh them as much as possible, such that your friends and your social life are largely the people you work with, so ultimately there is really no reason to go home. It's a great lifestyle if you are in your 20s. However, unless you are single, it's a bit of a tough haul when your hair is graying or receding and you see the benefits of keeping work and life at least somewhat separate.

I have no idea if the free-for-all work culture of "Work Hard and Play Harder" still exists as a norm in Silicon Valley; it's been nearly 10 years since I was in its orbit. But I can tell you there is at least one satellite hanging out in Las Vegas.