Lava lamp = laid-back

Why is it that whenever someone is trying to show just how laid-back the atmosphere in the Googleplex is, that they emphasize on these stupid lava lamps? Since when is the lava lamp the one and only beacon of laid-backness? What is so damn laid-back about a bottle-shaped container filled with wax and oil? Come on!

Check out this photo in a TIME pictorial from inside the Googleplex. The caption reads:

Desktop gizmos and lava lamps express Google’s laid-back ethos.

Hell, even if lava lamp really means laid-back, I can’t for the life of me spot a single lava lamp in that picture! Why are the mentioning that, when it’s not even there? Anyone?