Ready for Its Closeup? Snapshots From the Southland's Tech Scene.

Engineers, stuck at their computers for umpteen hours a day, tend to want a good view. And LA has a lot of them. From old production studios to factories to aerospace buildings, entrepreneurs are converting LA’s rough-around-the-edges, open-plan landscapes into startup spaces.

Scott Painter, the founder and CEO of TrueCar, which recently IPO-ed, spoke about the aesthetic desires of engineer: “When we first built our offices, they were right on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. We had a whole row of desks that faced the water. People thought engineers needed a dark quiet space to work. Turns out engineers are more competitive for an ocean view than anyone else. They want to watch the sunset and go out onto the water more than any CEO I’ve ever met.”

And for more photos of Gravity, Cooley LLP, Idealab, Maker Studios, Nasty Gal, Tastemade, Rubicon and Oculus, click around here:

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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