Techie Flip-Flops in Financial District

At lunchtime in the Financial District, PayPal Media Network COO David Chang sees lots of other techies (he knows them by their preference for flip-flops and sneakers over oxfords), young entrepreneurs and VC firm folk. But a year and a half ago, when the company moved into International Place, long the premier downtown address for law and financial service firms, “our attire stood out,” he recalls. 

As the Financial District morphs into a Millennial beehive, the type of offices in its towers reflect the change. At PayPal’s digs, the ceiling is exposed (This is a new generation, people. A generation that won't stand for a ceiling that hides secrets); the colors bright orange and chartreuse. Private offices don’t exist. Instead, there are 30-plus collaborative spaces and conference rooms equipped with life-size video conferencing networks that link colleagues worldwide, real-time. 

Need a change of pace? Intern Adan Zlatkus takes a walk and works… with a Boston Harbor view. 

Or, try some music (Farah Hussain, senior marketing manager, shows us how it’s done); ping pong or raid the well-stocked café. (Sounds more like a student center than an office.) Back in ’08, PayPal acquired Where Inc, which had its office in suburban Framingham. Once PayPal moved the group into Boston, the staff’s average age fell by 10 years, David tells us. The once buttoned-down International Place has been "very welcoming."  As the economy continues to rev up, having a growing tech presence in the Financial District “is a positive sign of how the economy is also evolving ,” he says.