Zappos

Lunch 2.0 @ Zappos Labs
Friday, Jan 4th 12:00pm-2:00pm 

If Zappos can "deliver happiness" then I can deliver pizza and that's how I snuck into Zappos' lunch event with the Escape From New York delivery man. When most people think of Zappos they think shoes, and lots of them. Zappos is the number one online shoe retailer with a major success in customer service. Zappos' call center is different, they don't follow any scripts and they're there for you 24/7... so if you ever need someone to talk to you can always call the Zappos' customer loyalty team -maybe that's how the new record for the longest phone conversation with them lasted 10 hours.  I've heard their voices, but who were these people that would stay on the phone with someone that long just to make them happy?  I went to meet this Zappos family.

I had no idea this little Zappos office even existed, and apparently some of the Zappos' employees in the Las Vegas headquarters don't either. This was their first event this office had ever hosted so when I asked about a presentation they replied, "should we have had one?" and Rian Schmidt, the engineering manager busted out a little dance for me.  Then we talked strategy, which led to me getting a personal presentation.

During this web-demo for one Nick Vincent, the Senior Web Developer, showed me some of the latest ways Zappos is leveraging social media like Pintrest and Twitter. Making sure to align with the bigger brand messaging, they've rolled out product lines beyond shoes like dresses and purses. Nick also showed me a map where I could see in real-time where people are buying which shoes. With that in mind the CEO Tony Hsieh wasn't there, although I spent a good portion of one afternoon thinking of the perfect question had I did run into him. I would definitely make sure to ask the CEO how possible it would be to hook me up with the Clarks desert boot oakwood suede shoe (size 8).





Crashed it with the Zappos Family -delivering a little extra happiness for everyone (even for my kitten that received a new toy box)

My favorite page of the book -the Core Values of Zappos

Tapsense

Tapsense Developer Holiday Party @ Jillian's

December 11th 6:30-9:30pm 

I only document about half the company events that I attend, and I also admit that I wasn't planning on posting this event as the only pictures I took that evening were from the photobooth. However those pictures kept on popping up, over and over again -so much that I had to get to know them. Tapsense is essentially a mobile app marketer because with an overwhelming amount of media these days, they face an increasingly competitive landscape but Tapsense still cuts through the clutter. You see, first I received the print-out from the photobooth which is standard, but then about thirsty minutes later in the middle of Jillian's 50 ft high definition wall my face was plastered on the T.V screen. This was an obvious representation that no matter how many times I've done the photobooth, one of the pictures always seems to catch me off guard. I now have an event crashing goal, to master the four faces in a photobooth. If that wasn't enough though, the mass e-mail that was sent out to the Tapsense company thanking everyone for attending was forwarded over to me. Low and behold, one of my pictures from the photobooth was smacked in the center of the e-mail (even overlayed across someone else's face). Why is my photobooth picture turning up everywhere?... I still have no idea, but what I do know is that it's not easy to catch someones attention these days, but Tapsense does it.

This holiday season I crashed it with the Tapsense team!

PassBan

PassBan @ The HQ

December 20th 6:00-9:00pm

There are many sports I'm not good at but if there's one sport where my talent really is, it's definitely in foosball. For that reason I challenged anyone in the PassBan office to play me, as I crashed this event to learn about this new app  called Passboard. Set to be released next week, this free app plans to replace traditional passwords with flexible & modern multi-factor verification that turns YOU into the password. Kayvan Alikhani, the CEO, summed it up by saying it's essentially "Password 2.0" allowing you to protect applications by creating your own security process that involves facial and voice recognition. This event was decked out with nerds, and really smart ones that were dedicated to revolutionizing mobile security. These guys were ready to transform the way we feel about protecting a good friend -our phone. Let's admit it, if dogs are man's best friend then the phone has easily secured it's spot as the #2 wingman.  You trust your phone to hold some of your most private information so Passban set out to put some extra security on this personal wingman of yours. The question remains though, can identical twins fool the system? Well, Kayvan is bringing my twinster and I in to see if we can share a password.

Crashed it... playing with passwords at PassBan (say that five times)

Voxer

Voxer Holiday Party @ The HQ 

December 13th @ 5:30pm

It's not a party unless someone face plants into the floor and with that -Voxer knows how to party. I learned that night if you lock your knees for too long it restricts the blood flow and could end up making you pass out.  Even when standing attention in the military they have their knees slightly bent, and I'm sure the CEO Tom Katis could confirm this. Tom used to be a Special Forces communications sergeant and his idea of Voxer was actually inspired while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He got the idea for the company when he needed better technology to talk to other soldiers on the battlefield so he founded Voxer, a walkie talkie app for smartphones. Voxer lets you send instant audio, text and photo messages to your friends; the messages stream live as you talk, and your friends can join in real-time or listen later. With all the hard work that's been put into the app since 2007, it's no wonder they were celebrating. They've come a long way and as I chatted with Tom he showed me some photos in his phone of Obama from the night before and now he had the opportunity to take a picture with me -this CEO was really on a roll here.  They had a fully stocked bar with a kitchen cooking up quesadillas, and I ended up in a photobooth with two strangers (which one turned out to be an investor of this party). Voxer is the first company I've seen that perfectly balances the workhard playhard mentality -now talk about that via walkie talkie.

BASE

Base Holiday Party @ University Club

Dec 13th 6:30-9:00pm 

Even though I'm a Jew, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. The city smells greener and shines brighter, and it gives everyone another reason to be celebrating. I picked an event at the University Club and chose the Base Holiday Party on the 4th Floor, then grabbed myself a name tag and crashed it.  I wasn't sure what Base was about but I figured it was either a baseball team or a place for Bay Area Software Engineers to gather -and it turns out it's the later. This event was located at the historic clubhouse atop Nob Hill and was founded in 1890 with a dress code required, which even surprised my new software engineer friends. If you hike up Nob Hill without having an asthma attack you'll appreciate the view at this elegant venue, so I slide out the doors to the balcony to enjoy the the city skyline and catch my breath with a margarita. BASE is focused on emerging technologies such as Machine Learning, Robotics, Nanotechnology, 3D Printing, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Vision, Augmented Reality, and using software to create art. I took time that evening to talk with these software engineers about our shared love for new technologies and applaud them for doing what they do (however they do it). BASE embraces the future, and I crashed this event because I do too.

Wired

Brocade + Wired Reception @ Wired Headquarters

Dec 5th 6-8pm

I walked into Wired and crashed this exclusive reception to have a chat with Chris Anderson, Wired Editor-In-Chief.  Teaming up with Brocade, he gave me a copy of his new book "Makers: The New Industrial Revolution" and told me he was quitting. After 12 years he decided to step down to spend more time with his robots.

Chris started DIY Drones and cofounded 3D Robots (a company that turns atoms into drones). The definition of a drone has changed over the years but today it refers to an aircraft that has the capability of autonomous flight, with small drones essentially becoming a fleet of flying smartphones. We talked about how people use technology and I found out that Chris was also the creator of  OpenSprinkler -which apparently became a hot seller with hydroponic pot growers. While crashing this event it was obvious I was the youngest person by a solid twenty years, and I was there to represent this different generation of technology that I grew up in. We all came together that evening and explored the possibilities of technology today, diving deeper into how 3-D printers have become a driver of manufacturing's next generation. Similarly to how how simple it is to press "Print" there's now the consumer equivalent of capabilities to build something with the "Make" button.  With rip, mod, make, we can see what happens when powerful tools meet the hands of ordinary people.  According to Chris, "We're all designers -so we might as well get good at it."

Wired -Crashed it!

Puccini & Pinetti

Retail Relaxation @ Puccini & Pinetti

November 26th 4:00-6:00pm

I crashed this "Retail Relaxation" event at Puccini & Pinetti's to figure out what an event with that theme even means. There was no speaker, no presentation and no further information, with that just some drinks and hors d'oeuvres made this company crash earn it's title as the most relaxing event yet.  At Puccini & Pinetti's they were serving up an an array of meatballs and pizza from a wood-burning oven. This Italian restaurant thinks of themselves as one big food-loving family so I pulled up a chair and joined them. Just like every other family dinner I've been a part of, after enjoying the delicious bites we headed down the hallway to take shots at a hotel. Accessible through a path, Hotel Abri is a sleek hotel with a modern decor -extending the urban vibe of relaxation.

Crashed it at Puccini & Pinetti's...
For a moment of relaxation with my new Italian family!