CBSN New York Goes Inside Instagram's NoHo Headquarters
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Instagram's headquarters in New York City is closed off to the public.
But CBSN New York's Dias went inside for a look behind closed doors.
As you'd expect, the space has plenty of places to snap a selfie.
Whether it's referenced in a pop song, or an exhibit pops up solely for Instagram posts, this social media platform is taking over. With one billion monthly users, Instagram is the second-most used social media app, according to one recent study.
So it's only fitting Instagram's new headquarters on Broadway in NoHo is as hip as the site itself.
"The space really represents Instagram's values, our simplicity, dedication to craft," Director of Engineering Philip McAllister told Dias.
McAllister is responsible for the site's performance and reliability – a stressful job that he says gets done because of the environment the works in.
"I think the space provides a feeling of zen for many of the employees here, especially because this is a floor of mainly engineering," he said.
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Instagram shares the building with its owner, Facebook – home of that tiny conference room, which is seen all over social media.
But on the 14th floor, pretty much everywhere you look is Insta-worthy.
"When you come to Instagram, you expect to take really good Instagrams. So we want to make the office a great place to do that," said Elisa Benson.
Benson says it's not hard to find a spot to pose for a picture. The most popular place is the famous IG selfie mirror, where hundreds of people have posted pics.
"Design has always been one of the core principals of Instagram, and we really wanted the space to reflect it. It's not accidental that it sort of feels like a museum gallery in here," she said.
All of the art is sourced from people with Instagram accounts that have a large following. There's a living plant wall, a soundproof studio, and a rainbow globe made solely for Insta posts.
But plenty of work gets done, too.
"The space was designed intentionally with the work spaces at either side, the conference rooms in the middle, and then we have this beautiful atrium," said Benson. "The intention was to have these communal spaces that would make it easy to collaborate."
Employee get three free meals a day, unlimited coffee, snacks and gelato, plus smoothies and fresh juices. They've even named some drinks after their filters, like Sierra and Valencia.
More than 300 employees work at Instagram. The floor is 80,000 square feet and it has 68 conference rooms.
New York is somehow incorporated into the name of each conference room, like Carrie Bradshaw and Blair Waldorf.
"It was important for this office to not only reflect the Instagram aesthetic but also the fact that we're in New York City and there's so much energy here," Benson said.
The office is a creative outlet that helps every employee feel inspired.
"It's just a light, bright, chic, design-first space that allows us to really do our best work, and it's been great being able to sit here, collaborate with coworkers in all the open spaces," Product Marketing Manager Jonathan Lau said.
Forget the likes, a space like this gets a lot of love.
