Coolest employee perks at Silicon Valley tech companies

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- There is no such thing as a free lunch, unless you work at a tech company. Many Silicon Valley companies offer free meals to employees, but that is just the icing on the cake of perks these employees can get.

Here is a list of some of the coolest benefits employees get at San Francisco Bay Area companies.

Twilio: It's all about relaxation at the cloud communications company. Besides flex vacation time, workers get a free Kindle and up to $30 a month to spend on books.

Google: The search giant doesn't just offer free meals at more than 30 cafes it has at its Mountain View complex. It also has nap pods, a concierge service to run errands for employees and a death benefit that pays the spouse of a deceased employee 50 percent of the employee's salary for 10 years.

Zynga: Workers can relax at arcade lounges with the latest gaming systems.

Airbnb: Workers get paid to volunteer and can claim up to $2,000 a year to stay at Airbnb locations.

Apple: Can't beat the 25 percent employee discount on Apple products, but there are also free concerts and a wellness center with chiropractors and dietitians.

Asana: Employees get up to $10,000 to spend on office furniture to make their work environment more friendly. That's on top of the free home-cooked meals.

Genentech: No need to go far to get those errands done. The biotech company offers on-site car washes, haircuts, spa treatments and even a dentist office.

Salesforce: Besides the free concerts during the Dreamforce conference, workers get paid to volunteer for up to seven days a year and get $1,000 to donate to their favorite charities.

Adobe: The San Jose company offers 26 weeks of maternity leave and adoption assistance, a chance to take a sabbatical after five years and up to $10,000 in education expenses.

Spotify: There's the fun stuff like free concerts and lunchtime jam sessions, but new parents also get six months of parental leave and those planning to have a child can get fertility assistance and money to freeze their eggs if they don't plan to start a family in the near future.

Facebook: The perks begin early for workers at the social media giant. Interns get free housing and salaries that can go as high as $7,000 per month. Regular employees get much more, including $4,000 after the birth of a baby and a monthly housing stipend for those not using the free shuttles.

Twitter: Besides the standard catered meals, employees get money for a gym membership, acupuncture and meditation classes, plus laundry and dry cleaning services.

Netflix: The streaming service offers one of the best flex vacation policies in the industry, plus an entire paid year off for new parents.

Zillow: New mothers can have their breast milk shipped overnight to their child if they have to travel for work.

Linkedin: Employees get a $2,000 bonus for fitness classes, massages or child care.

Square: Free meals plus there is an on-site chiropractor, acupuncturist, massage therapist, plus yoga and meditation classes.

Dropbox: Employees can release their stress in the music room that comes complete with drums, guitars and a keyboard.

iCracked: Yes, there is a yacht outside the company's Redwood City offices that employees can use to cruise in the bay.

Evernote: Employees get unlimited vacation days, plus free house cleaning services twice a month.

Cisco: No need to show up to work on your birthday. Workers get the day off.