A friend of mine called me up the other day and told me that this was his last day in one of the original buildings of our former company. The buildings were sold. He was moving into another building, the next day.
It’s a common story – big hi-tech company is bought by another big hi-tech company. Some of the technology remains, but the company is no more. The industry doesn’t stay the same. The landscape, the network, the mesh, the world, it changes.
I know that. People say “change is good”, as if it were a mantra, or a talisman, or a truth they want to believe. In reality, change is change. Some of it is good – some not so good. It’s just change.
If you ask me, this big hi-tech company was the best hi-tech company in the world. We had thrilling products. It was a wonderful place to work. We knew each other well. We had a history. We had a culture. Don’t get me wrong – it was a real place, with real people. Good things happened, but terrible things happened too. That’s how real places are, with real people.
If you never worked for a great company, then you can’t understand this. I told people at my new place (an educational institution) the story of the buildings being sold. They tried to understand, but I don’t think they did. Now, if I would have said – “well, what if our great educational institution was gone, after over one hundred years of existence – would you tell me that change is good?” “No”, they would tell me – “that’s different!”.
It’s not different. The world changes, but that doesn’t invalidate what we had. I wish there would have been a way for the best hi-tech company in the world to continue, all by itself, successfully, happily, creatively, with me there too – but that didn’t happen.
Lest you think I’m being completely maudlin – I feel I need to say this – I’m not being maudlin, nor am I “stuck in the past”. I’m working with good people (smart too!) on interesting things. I’m making a difference. In everything I do in the work world, I try to bring some passion, a “you can make it better” vibe. I believe in both technology and in our ability to make things better. And I follow tech companies with interest, and yes, affection. It’s a big world – there doesn’t have to be only one great hi-tech company in the whole world!
I’m ending this post with a tribute.
Today is Friday. Late Friday afternoon was a special time for us. Here is what I did. I brought up Google Maps, and I found the location of the original company buildings. I switched to street view. I clicked on the map, modeling how I traversed the physical landscape of my company, at their headquarters in California. I Google Map “drove” past the original buildings, and then I drove past the buildings in California where I used to work. Then I opened a beer.
Regards,
amarez – mszv
Amarez - feels like home 
Did you zoom in to the area behind LOC 2 ?
The underwater tiles still pay tribute to my very very favorite company ever!
Thanks for the tip Dave. Wow, forgot about those tiles. I’ll check it out!
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Just went and zoomed in on the tiles – using satellite view, not street view. Yup – the name is there!
Regards,
amarez – mszv
Minor correction: Those were not the original buildings. The company had at least two prior locations before moving into what later was named Loc 1. I’m not certain, but I have a dim memory of being told that they didn’t even have all of that building at first — they shared it with another company for a while.
I joined the company in late 1978, and all of that happened before I got there, but I recall occasional conversations with very early employees from which I learned what I’m relating now.
Thanks for the info – didn’t know that!
Ah – memories.
LOC 1 was previously occupied by Four-Phase and both companies shared the building for a while.
I recently had lunch with old friends at LOC 2 just a few weeks before everyone moved. We ate by the pool and the name was still there. There is an aerial photo promoting the famous company across the freeway and the tiles in the pool are very easy to read!
Yes, the first address was over on Valley Green Drive.
However, I worked in Loc 2, 210, 200, and lastly loc 4.
Not the original first buildings, but the BEST new buildings you could ever imagine moving into during some of the most exciting times this valley ever had. The windows in Bldg. 3 facing the pool were called The Fishbowl weren’t they? The beer busts were almost taken away in 1980 because of a beer bust incident and that wonderful old pool. Good times, great people.
I was only made aware of this blog today – but thought you may also like to read what I wrote on the ery same topic – I was there the day boxes were being packed. Check out posting on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 An era ends! at http://www.itug-connection.blogspot.com
And yes, you are rught – it was a great company and unless you worked their, you most likely will never get it! Good posting ….
Valley Green was actually the second building. The first one was rented space in another company’s building (I think Varian, but wouldn’t swear to it) over near Central Expressway. Moving to Cupertino was a big improvement!
I have a photo that shows that the new owners of loc 1-3 have filled in the pool.