Happy birthday, dear Facebook

By a bizarre and convoluted set of circumstances, today I found myself at Facebook's corporate party celebrating 7 years since their launch.  I'd spent a nice morning catching up with Daphny (newly returned from Israel) and Elliot in Mountain View, and had grabbed a ride down with Aaron whose watch company I've been helping out.  He'd sold a pile of specially designed watches to Facebook (by sitting next to their senior marketing person an a plane flight), and every employee was getting one as part of the birthday shenanigans.

Checking on the order at Facebook HQ on the way back to Berkeley, all it took was his American charm and the slight bribe of a watch to each security guard, and there we were enjoying hospitality with the young and rich of Silicon Valley as the only non-employees at the party.  There was a band, free beer and arcade games, and lots of people wearing his watches.  And while I saw Mark Zuckerberg, I didn't quite have the courage to go and ask him if he had a couple of spare millions he wouldn't miss.

Aaron and Nipun (ex-Haas, now Facebook), with a security guard picking his watch.  It's all about who you know!

The selection of extras...that disappeared in about five minutes.

High-security handout of the goodies

Lexa, Facebook's top marketing lady (the one from the flight) looks happy.

Parteee!

...with corporate branding...

...and free arcade games.  I wonder if they get to do this every day.