We headed to WorkTECH West Coast at 485 Jessie yesterday, where Salesforce.com SVP real estate Ford Fish (right) provided a rare peek into the cloud giant's space needs. Gensler principal Gervais Tompkin asked how Salesforce can rent the most expensive real estate in the most expensive cities. Ford admits it's a challenge but they need to be where customers and employees are. He mitigates the cost in several ways: A substantial number of employees work virtually and more are doing work hoteling, he says. Salesforce has also dramatically reduced the square feet per person from way over 200 SF a couple years ago to 175 SF today, and he thinks that number will shrink to 150 SF.

The veteran construction manager, who grew up in S.F., got candid about Salesforce's mentality to scratch the plan to build a 2M SF campus on 14 acres in Mission Bay. The town center was going to have shops and stores but why build those amenities if they already exist in the heart of the city? The pivotal point was when opportunity came knocking: 500k SF at 50 Fremont opened up. The ability to switch HQ locales and change direction on a dime is indicative of Salesforce and tech firms being flexible and nimble when something happens, he says. Since then he's worked to build the campus at the corner of Fremont and Mission. (No need for building Starbucks there.) Above, Salesforce Tower in S.F. and London.