Shopify’s Daniel Weinand
One of the leading lights of Canada’s tech sector, e-commerce platform Shopify makes design a core company value, and its Ottawa headquarters reflects that. Each floor is organized around a theme, like “1920s Prohibition” or “retreat,” and there are a variety of workspaces, from open-concept group pods to private nooks—and even a few secret rooms hidden around the office, knowledge of which is strictly needto-know. “If you put a lot of smart and able people in the same space, give them what they need and remove barriers, magic happens,” says Daniel Weinand, Shopify co-founder, and chief design and culture officer. Weinand eschews an office of his own, preferring to sit with whichever team he’s working with on individual projects, but he finds a quiet corner every day in order to reflect. “I try to carve out some time to think about the bigger picture.”
POD PEOPLE
Most employees have semipermanent assigned spaces, usually for the duration of a given project before moving on to the next. Weinand wanted to keep the corner spaces for these teams so they would have the better views; executives tend to get windowless interior offices. “If you want a permanent space, you’re not going to get the nice view,” Weinand says.
CRATE EXPECTATIONS
The main-floor reception floor is themed around transportation, which is why many of the pods and spaces are made to look like shipping crates. Also on the main floor is the open cafeteria, where the company holds weekly town halls and Ask Me Anything sessions with CEO Tobias Lütke.
POINT OF INTEREST
One of the “shipping crates” near the lobby features a demo setup of Shopify’s point-of-sale hardware that it sells to bricks-and-mortar retailers. POS systems are part of Shopify’s growing list of product offerings for independent merchants.
POST-IT WAR IN THE SAUNA ROOM
One of Shopify’s many unconventional meeting rooms resembles a Scandinavian sauna. Many of the windows on one side of the building are covered in Post-its arranged to resemble eight-bit Nintendo characters like Super Mario or Mega Man—Shopify employees are engaged in a “Post-it war” with the office building across the street.
NO SWINGING FROM THE CHANDELIERS
“There are some areas that are really good for thinking,” notes Weinand. He ensured there were places with dimmer lighting to accommodate differing comfort levels. While many tech companies are known for having open office spaces, for introverts they’re less conducive to work, which is why Weinand ensured there were areas people could hole up with a laptop.
CHARGE!
As would be expected in the office of a tech company where everyone is reliant on their devices, there are charging stations placed strategically throughout the various floors. Workspaces big and small are well-equipped with plugs for laptoptoting employees.