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- mailmail19659011]If you plan a global takeover, then where is it best to have your base as an island "in the center of the world".
This is the message that Leo Varadkar took to Silicon Valley a few weeks before Christmas, when he made his first trip as Taoiseach.
million. Varadkar broke with tradition and made his way to the US West Coast rather than to Washington, opting for dynamic technology "leaders" in their offices open to the largely male and flawed Capitol Hill politicians.
This gave the young Taoiseach a glimpse of life from the other half, fueled by cooked dishes at the office rather than home-cooked meals, and a quest to be the best rather than doing his best .
Within 48 hours, Mr. Varadkar had pioneered a path through the conference rooms of Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, Stripe and others.
He loved them and they loved him.
Things were going well, perhaps with the exception of Apple boss Tim Cook, who was closing plans for a € 850 million data center at Athenry, Co Galway.
It's on Facebook that Mr. Varadkar seemed to be enjoying himself the most. Their California base is the largest open-plan office in the world. Decorated by artists, the walls also contain an endless pile of posters made by the staff.
It's like another dimension – but for a company that has so much information about us, they do not like us seeing too much of their world.
Journalists accompanying Mr. Varadkar were warned not to take any photographs that could capture a computer screen.
We even had to be accompanied to the toilet, in case we were at fault.
Everyone was fantastic, but it was clear that our presence was disrupting the system.
In the absence of our reporters present, we were told that it was possible to find Mark Zuckerberg sitting at a desk in the open office in the middle of the 30-year-old hooded sweatshirt.
On the rooftop are health bars and sun loungers nestled amidst 9 acres of shrubs, and a running track that overlooks the Menlo Park swamps.
The office walls are covered with a combination of professional art installations and posters made during the shutdowns.
Motivational slogans included "Even busy bees stop and smell the roses". and & # 39; What would you do if you were not afraid? & # 39;
million. Varadkar has maintained with billionaire Facebook creator Zuckerberg in front of a special order "Cead Mile Fáilte", framed on one side by the "Focus on Impact" poster and on the other by " Be Bold ".
During their meeting, the two men mainly discussed the configuration of the social media network in Ireland. Privacy and security issues do not seem to have been very prevalent.
And in the end, Mr. Varadkar was able to announce that Facebook plans to increase its workforce in Ireland by "several hundred" this year.
At Google, the Taoiseach was also celebrated in its bright and spacious offices that had been "green" for the occasion.
He laughed down a staircase lit by the most wanted words of the day.
Among them was All Souls' Day (it was November 2) and Tax Reform.
At Apple, the atmosphere was much more professional. Sources say that although Mr. Varadkar found Zuckerberg affable, Tim Cook was harsh.
Apple did not invite the media to the inside, although they did demonstrate to us the new iPhone X – before we quickly removed it and directed us to the store on square.
During his trip to Silicon Valley, Mr. Varadkar's message was simple: Ireland wants to be the technological capital of Europe, our taxes are legal but low and the Irish are in favor of migration.
the need for tech giants to quell predators that target kids online or questions about how social media is becoming invasive.
The Taoiseach said that "power is moving to the west". But surely after the last few days, he must start asking if too much power has moved to California.
Irish freelance
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