As discussed recently, cubicles would probably be preferred by most engineers to open offices. However, they are virtually an industry standard at this point and it's not exactly something that a tech worker can escape by changing companies:
As far as snacks and coffee go, this subthread goes into a good discussion about how most of the perks are relatively cheap for management to shell out for, and elides that the money could instead go into providing individual offices as was the case in the industry in the '90s- or just paying employee salaries:
Tech workers are relatively compensated well, no doubt- but as mentioned in the Quora link, they are not exactly paid commensurate to the value they bring. Perks such as snacks or fancy furniture are simply window dressing, not to mention provided meals are also seen as a way for the company to maximize time spent in the office. The tech industry is very good at providing double-edged benefits- unlimited PTO is another example, as it nearly always comes with some strings attached and often leads to less vacation time taken than if allotted vacation time is given. It's an industry that's very good at selling products that are only free at first glance- is it any wonder that many employee perks/benefits are no different in principle?
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22256872
As far as snacks and coffee go, this subthread goes into a good discussion about how most of the perks are relatively cheap for management to shell out for, and elides that the money could instead go into providing individual offices as was the case in the industry in the '90s- or just paying employee salaries:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22359927
Tech workers are relatively compensated well, no doubt- but as mentioned in the Quora link, they are not exactly paid commensurate to the value they bring. Perks such as snacks or fancy furniture are simply window dressing, not to mention provided meals are also seen as a way for the company to maximize time spent in the office. The tech industry is very good at providing double-edged benefits- unlimited PTO is another example, as it nearly always comes with some strings attached and often leads to less vacation time taken than if allotted vacation time is given. It's an industry that's very good at selling products that are only free at first glance- is it any wonder that many employee perks/benefits are no different in principle?