The challenge: recruiting top talent in a hypergrowth world
After five years headquartered in the Bay Area, Pinterest began experiencing an unprecedented rate of growth. In order to sustain that pace, the visual discovery engine needed to recruit top talent in sales and engineering. But San Francisco is a notoriously high-demand market for those roles, so Jen Nguyen, Pinterest’s head of workplace, started looking at a new location: Seattle.
“We thought that this would be a great opportunity to explore regions outside of the Bay Area, to accelerate recruiting in the technical roles,” says Nguyen. “Seattle was going to be that test bed for us.”
Pinterest is a community-driven platform. They pride themselves on their culture of inclusivity and diversity—and their workspaces reflect that. The Pinterest headquarters in San Francisco is warm and bubbling with energy. Nguyen knew that in order to recruit and retain top talent, the Seattle space had to feel the same way.
But the forecasted headcount she was planning for was fluid and the talent pools were vastly different. Engineers needed quiet space to focus without distraction. Sales teams needed dynamic spaces to host clients. It was hard to find a solution that could meet both needs.
The solution: agile space that’s uniquely Pinterest
Nguyen partnered with WeWork to design and build a custom, private office tailored to her needs. By leveraging WeWork’s platform, she was able to create a space that reflected Pinterest’s mission and values in a highly sought-after Seattle neighborhood. The WeWork team even visited the San Francisco headquarters to experience the unique Pinterest “community” Nguyen wanted to replicate.
“We look at WeWork as an extension of our team,” she says. “They get it and they understand our needs.”
Pinterest decided on a private location inside WeWork Denny Triangle, in the heart of Seattle amongst other high-profile companies. Nguyen collaborated with WeWork’s vertically integrated team of workplace strategists, designers, and construction managers to engineer the space for creativity and productivity.
The results: space for a growing team, in record time
Nguyen says she “measures success by how fast the real estate has grown.” When the project began, Nguyen was looking for a five-person office. Within one year, it had grown to 55 people. And now, Pinterest has plans to further expand. What started as a test market has now become a new home.
The half-floor, private office is a dynamic space that can flex as Pinterest expands. By leveraging WeWork’s amenities like bike storage and activation space, Pinterest was also able to maximize their private workspace.
Pinterest’s space is as diverse as their employees; from quiet spaces for focused work to common areas for hosting events and entertaining clients, there’s a place for everyone.
Key highlights
- Prime real estate in a sought-after Seattle location
- Flexible terms and the ability to grow on demand
- Private space and entrance
- Interior design aligned to Pinterest’s brand
- Access to premium amenities and programming
