Leading action-and webcam brand Insta360 has gifted real gold keycaps to its most valued employees. SCMP reports that this generosity has become something of a tradition in recent years at the Shenzhen, China-based imaging technology firm. On ‘Programmer’s Day’ last month, for example, 21 keycaps were gifted, worth up to $45,000 each.
The firm’s practice of sharing out golden gifts reportedly started around four years ago. This likely coincided with the firm gaining traction and a good reputation for its imaging hardware.
Since that time, and over consecutive ‘Programmer’s Day’ events in China, Insta360 has reportedly given away 55 gold keycaps. It is notable that, as the price of gold has climbed, the monetary value of these keycap gifts has more than doubled since the tradition began.
Established gold culture
Now, a ‘gold culture’ seems to be firmly embedded at Insta360. At a party last year, the SCMP reports that a 50-gram pure gold bar was presented to a competition winner. A recently married couple (both employees) was also gifted a pure gold coin. Moreover, to mark the firm’s 10-year anniversary in July, everyone at the company (including interns) was given a gift box including pure gold stickers.
Thus, it isn’t surprising that the prominent imaging brand has started to become known as the ‘gold factory’ among locals.
Management philosophy
Gold keycaps symbolize that each keystroke is a touch that “turns the stone into gold,” says Insta360 founder Liu Jingkang. The boss explained to the SCMP that the value of gold, in his eyes, comes from its implications of stability and reliance.
This philosophy seems to be going down well with employees and envious folk at other firms. One Insta360 employee is quoted as saying, “I will work harder and fill my whole keyboard with gold keycaps.”
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