Is it possible to go on a tour of the Stack Exchange headquarters?

Question

On the Stack exchange network, podcast, blogs, and more, we hear a lot about the team at Stack Exchange Inc. headquarters in New York City, the work environment and the like.

We were discussing this in the Travel chat and wondering if it was at all possible to tour the headquarters, even if a virtual tour, to see what it looked like. Obviously visiting the actual headquarters would be ideal (I'd post pictures!) but we'll take what we can get.

If only a virtual tour is possible, and a staff member happens across this question, an ideal answer would include photos ;)

There is not much to be seen in the office of a service company. Employees in front of computer screens, office requisites ... Sounds exciting! — Maître Peseur, Jun 17 '13 at 17:44
Duplicate: http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/139800/im-on-vacation-in-nyc-can-i-visit-tour-the-stack-exchange-headquarters/139881 — Maître Peseur, Jun 17 '13 at 18:05
lol, no one should see how a company's software sausage is made, it can be totally anti-climatic. The most exciting thing will be the ping-pong table. — Mark Rogers, Jun 17 '13 at 19:10
@MarkRogers I totally agree. And many of the fans are likely to be disappointed. They go to the premises of a company that they find "cool" and "different" and at the end of the day it looks like pretty any office or even worse. That will damage the image of the company. — Maître Peseur, Jun 17 '13 at 21:19
Or to put it differently: Welcoming visitors has to be prepared. This involves some work (and costs) and not everybody is willing to do it. — Maître Peseur, Jun 17 '13 at 21:22

score 20 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 28 '14 at 23:00

20

You are now welcome to virtually tour the NYC office at http://s.tk/NYCTour, courtesy of Google Maps!

answered Jan 28 '14 at 23:00

Pops

393
3
12

8

Huh. I learned two things from this answer: Google Maps satellites can see through walls, and SE employs a unicorn! – Nate Eldredge Jan 29 '14 at 03:35
2

What sorcery is this?! – System Down Jan 29 '14 at 21:36

score 18 · Answer 2 · edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:32

18

From David Fullerton, one of the staff members:

Generally, the answer is "no". We're probably smaller than you think -- only about 30 of us in NY and half of those are sales people who cannot be interrupted or we will run out of money and have to stop sending out so many free t-shirts. We don't really have anyone whose job it is to show people around the office.

With that said, you can always try sending an email. If someone in the office recognizes you from the site and feels like showing you around we can try to set something up.

Also, definitely don't try to "just stop by" -- building security won't let you in (that's kind of their job).

edited Mar 20 '17 at 10:32

Community

1

answered Jun 17 '13 at 15:29

BlueBerry - Vignesh4303

737
6
15

1

I expanded on your answer, copying from that meta post, rather than just having a link to it. Hope that's ok. – Mark Mayo Jun 17 '13 at 15:53
1

@DavidFullerton How do we get a free T-Shirt ? – Simon Jun 17 '13 at 19:46
2

@Simon Become a moderator, and then wait six to eight weeks. – Michael Hampton Jul 30 '13 at 07:56

score 14 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 17 '13 at 16:12

14

I can add that we participate in the NYC Walkabout which runs annually. Unfortunately, the one this year already happened 3 weeks ago. walkaboutnyc.com

answered Jun 17 '13 at 16:12

Kizzle

521
4
6

we? Could you elaborate? – Mark Mayo Jun 17 '13 at 16:13
I work at Stack Overflow – Kizzle Jun 17 '13 at 16:15
thanks for the answer! I wasn't sure as your profile said London. – Mark Mayo Jun 17 '13 at 16:16
2

Yes, we've got an office in London as well now! – Kizzle Jun 17 '13 at 16:23

Is it possible to go on a tour of the Stack Exchange headquarters?

3 Answers3