The power of technology, globalisation and regulation
ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA the world’s best-known tech companies are engaged in a construction contest. Facebook got off to an early start with a building of 430,000 square feet (40,000 square metres) that looks like a giant warehouse. It is said to be the largest open-plan office building in the world. Google is hard at work on a new headquarters to replace its Googleplex: a collection of movable glass buildings that can expand or contract as business requires. Samsung and Uber, too, are in construction mode. But the most ambitious builder is Apple, which is spending $5 billion on something that looks like a giant spaceship.
This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline “Why giants thrive”
From the September 17th 2016 edition
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