Santa Monica has become one of the most active tech hubs in California in the last few years. Beyond tech work, setting up startups and innovations, tech professionals also make time for relaxation, learning, and everyday activities to balance their workload. Their routines can be a mix of outdoor activities, hobbies, community events, and other simple ways to unwind after work.
1. High-Engagement & Immersive Gaming
Tech professionals usually choose gaming to unwind. This can mean console or PC games, online tournaments, or immersive experiences like virtual reality (VR). Actually, many VR owners use headsets mainly for gaming.
Some techies also play online casino games that accept crypto, particularly Bitcoin. The number of crypto-based platforms keeps growing as crypto itself keeps getting more popular globally. This is normal and expected with any industry growth.
It is also normal that these new sites sometimes come with cool new features, and old platforms update frequently, to help them stand out from their competition. This is why tech professionals usually check the latest review of a site before diving in. Doing so just helps them spot the new features, security changes, or payment updates.
For many in tech, gaming is also a creative space where they can try new mechanics, test strategies, and enjoy social gaming with other techies in VR or competitive titles.
2. Streaming Services & On-Demand Video
Santa Monica tech professionals sometimes relax with streaming services. On-demand video has become almost everyone’s daily media routine. According to a global report, 98% of internet users say they watch TV content online at least every month. In the United States, about 83% of internet households now subscribe to at least one video streaming service.
This shows that tech workers, like every other person, also like to enjoy their free time watching shows or movies on streaming platforms like YouTube, Amazon, Netflix, Disney+, etc. This makes it easier for them to decompress after a busy workday. These on-demand services are a great way to rest or binge-watch shows and movies without pressure.
3. Podcasts & Audio Learning
For techies, learning doesn’t have to stop when they power off their work devices. Many of them prefer to spend their downtime listening to podcasts and audiobooks on technology, finances, entrepreneurship, or productivity. Podcast listening, for example, keeps growing in the US. About 55% of people say they listened to or watched a podcast at least once in the past month. And about 40% of US adults listen to or watch a podcast every week.
For busy professionals, the good thing about this is that they can listen to podcasts and audiobooks on their daily walks, workouts, or on their way to work every day. This is not just a leisure time; it is also a way to stay sharp, get new ideas, learn new lessons, and find motivation.
4. Smart Home Experiments & IoT Play
Another favorite thing for tech professionals in Santa Monica to do is to play with smart home devices. They love to build automation routines, try out new smart lights, or integrate voice assistants. This is an efficient way to work, and also to relax at the same time. Smart homes are part of new tech innovations entering the tech market, so it only makes sense for the techies to adopt them.
The global smart home automation market is estimated at $132.7 billion in 2025 and could reach $1.5 trillion by 2034. This shows that a lot of people are really invested in having smart homes. For tech workers, setting up a smart home is not just functional; they can experiment, have fun as they automate the lights, temperature, security, smart speakers, and more.
5. Tech Meetups & Local Community Hangouts
Tech professionals like to socialize with other techies, and this is the same for tech workers in Santa Monica. There are usually meetups, mixers, and local community events like Tech and Tonic mixers, local hackathons, or monthly developer nights. Many Gen-Techs (Gen Z techies) also like to join developer programs, forums, and X spaces in order to network with other tech professionals. And because Santa Monica is part of “Silicon Beach”, there are lots of tight-knit and creative communities for techies.
Santa Monica tech professionals enjoy a balanced work and play lifestyle. Their leisure time is not only a way to unwind, but it is also their time to grow, experiment, learn new things, and network with other techies like them.
