Fact: Microsoft bought the city of Redmond a new fleet of fire engines.

There's a story about the Microsoft campus that goes something like this:

Myth

Microsoft built a new underground parking garage, but somehow failed to coordinate with the city of Redmond during the entire process. Once it was finished, Redmond failed to approve it, since they couldn't fit a fire engine down there.

Faced with the task of redoing this entire structure ($$$$) or buying the city new, smaller fire trucks ($$$), they chose the latter.

Truth

I like that story about, I think it paints quite a funny picture of Microsoft.

The truth is similar, but less exciting.

Microsoft wanted to employ more people. Real estate is expensive. Redmond has as limit on how tall a buiilding can be (3 stories). Microsoft asked Redmond for an extension. The city said no.

Microsoft asked again, getting higher and higher until they were speaking with the mayor of Redmond. Again they asked, and again they were denied.

"Why?" asked Microsoft. "Why can't we build a 4- or 5-story building? Is it because it's ugly? You know we make a lot of money. We put this town on the map!"

"Oh it's nothing like that," the mayor laughed, twirling his moustaches, "It's just that our fire trucks — their ladders are so small. They can only reach 3 stories! So you see, it's simply impossible!"

Microsft thought for a moment and then said, "Uh... what if we just bought you some more fire trucks? Bigger ones."

The mayor thought for a moment, shrugged, and said that woudl be all right.

So Microsoft bought the city of Redmond new fire trucks (bigger, and no smaller as in the first myth) and proceeded to build their newer, bigger buildings.