Last Day in Silicon Valley

Hi Readers,

Friday was my last day in Silicon Valley. We visited Aruba Networks, Apple and the computer history museum. It was very bittersweet that this is our last day.

Aruba Networks was one of the most fascinating companies we visited. They have a system within their company that makes everything electronic. Each employee has to download tow apps on their phone in order to use their system. With this system you can get a map of the entire office building and the location of every employee. You can also view which conference rooms are resevered and which are open. When you enter a conference room you can simply put your phone flat on the table and you will be able to reserve the conference room for whenever you would like. Their system is easy and user friendly. While it is still in the process of being created and perfected they still have a few hiccups. This was interesting to see because if their theories come true soon our whole life will be using this system for everything. It is amazing to see this being created before it is out on the market.

Our next stop was Apple. We weren’t allowed to take any photos once we walked through the doors so unfortunately I cannot post any photos. I’m also not sure if I’m allowed to talk about anything they talked to us about so I’ll be brief. This company was probably my favorite of the trip. Brad, who talked to us for the trip, used to work in the Finance department for 30 plus years. We all introduced our majors and ourselves so he knew I was an accounting major. This was very beneficial to me because he then connected a lot of what he explaining to a financial perspective. I hope to keep in contact with him and ask further questions about his experiences.

After both companies, we decided to visit the Computer History Museum. It was intriguing to see how it all started and how it all evolved. After that a few of us decided to explore downtown Palo Alto. What we found was the first ever remotely controlled store. No actual employees worked here, only robots with virtual employees in other states. The robot I mentioned that we saw at Square were the robots running this store. I was so fascinated by this. We are slowly experiencing our world becoming more and more reliant on technology. Eventually this technology will be an everyday household item.

Attached below are pictures from Aruba Networks office space, the sign outside of Apple, and the virtual robot running the store.  

Thank you,

Lauren Brehm