Sun Microsystems Sign at Meta: A Homage and a Reminder
Last night, I took an out-of-town colleague on an impromptu Silicon Valley tour. We drove to Google’s main campus in Mountain View, which was originally the headquarters of Silicon Graphics. Google was our first stop because I always admired the original Silicon Graphics architecture with geometric patterns mimicking teapots, the ultimate symbol of computer graphics. We also visited Facebook’s headquarters in Menlo Park, where the Meta sign replaced the iconic “like” button. Finally, we ended up at the Stanford campus, admiring the glistening windows of the Memorial Church reflecting the evening light and listening to the chimes of the clock tower.
Though I live across town from the Facebook campus and have visited a few times, I’ve never actually stopped to take a picture of the company sign. The Facebook campus was nicknamed “Sun Quentin” because it was previously occupied by Sun Microsystems, an iconic giant in the valley. The name is also a play on words, as it sounds like “San Quentin,” a maximum-security prison located at the other end of the San Francisco Bay. Interestingly, the name “Sun” was derived from the initial letters of “Stanford University Network.” Sun Microsystems was founded by a group of Stanford University students, and the company’s original mission was to create networking products for the university community.
I was surprised to see that the Sun Microsystems sign was still preserved when I walked up. I thought it would have been taken down when the company was acquired by Oracle. I thought it was a nice gesture to keep the original sign, as it’s a reminder of Sun Microsystems’ history and importance to the Silicon Valley tech industry.
I posted this photo to Facebook, and a former Yahoo colleague who later worked at Facebook commented that it’s “meant to be part homage and part reminder of what can happen if you get complacent.” According to Lev Grossman’s interview in Time, when Facebook moved in, Mark Zuckerberg made over the entire place, but he didn’t change the sign in the front. He simply turned it around and put “Facebook” on the other side. The old Sun Microsystems sign remains a reminder of what happens when you take your eye off the ball.
Much has been written about the downfall of Sun Microsystems. It was once a leading technology giant, but it filed for bankruptcy in 2009 and was later acquired by Oracle. The company’s demise was due to a number of factors, including its allegiance to its hardware roots, its failure to capitalize on Java, its slow reaction to changes in the market, and its failed acquisitions. Despite its downfall, Sun Microsystems made significant contributions to the technology industry. The company’s innovations in hardware, software, and open source helped to shape the way we use computers today.
I remember a conversation I had with an Apple colleague in 2019. Apple Park had just opened to much fanfare in 2017, and we were even able to invite our family and friends to join us in an open house — a rare event. Apple stock was continuing to rise steadily with the launch of each new product. In the midst of all this exuberance, my colleague said, “We should never forget that Apple Park was built on the ashes of Hewlett Packard. We must remain vigilant.” Apple Park was erected on the grounds of the former HP campus, representing the shift from HP’s past heritage to Apple’s present-day culture of innovation.
My colleague’s point was that Apple’s success, or any company’s, is not guaranteed. Like many mature companies with long histories, HP has had many ups and downs over the past eight decades. While it is hard to pin down a single reason that caused HP’s decline, market forces, internal strife, and management failures are among the factors that led to HP’s current state. Any company could easily suffer the same fate if it becomes complacent or fails to adapt to the changing market.
Silicon Valley is a place that constantly reinvents itself. The surroundings are full of subtle reminders of the past that urge us to keep pushing forward. For example, the founder of my first startup once told me, “You are only as good as your last project.” This wisdom has resonated with me throughout my career, serving as an unyielding beacon that wards off any temptation of complacency.
