I finally listened to the interview that was made available for Mac users as Apple added support for Audible.com content in iTunes and the iPod. Robin Williams interviews Pixar’s John Lasseter for an hour, about making computer-animated films. The thing that interested me the most was what he said of their office.
When Pixar first was formed, they moved in to fairly standard office spaces, and built cubicles with cheap walls and left it at that. The people were free to decorate it any way they want, and they certainly did that.
After a few years, they built a new place, designed specifically for their company, but again they left the offices as blank slates for the employees to fill with whatever they liked. There were Tiki huts, pagodas, and such things, and because they were free to decorate, they naturally loved their workplace.
Several times Lasseter touches on the fact that they are constantly breaking new ground – something that was evident in the work of Walt Disney as well. There were no precedents, so they had to invent everything themselves. I wonder if there’s a common term for such businesses.