I remember reading a story about someone who got fired from some Silicon Valley tech job, and they almost immediately revoked their key card, so they got stuck in the staircase and had to wait for someone to hold the door open so they could get out of the building. (As if getting fired wasn't bad enough, you have to beg favours from random passers-by.)
Fire codes demand stairwells always open to the outdoors without obstruction. So this seems fishy?
In that story he was trying to go to the second floor from the third to collect his bag before leaving.
Common after layoff to have to return at an arranged later date (exit interview?) to collect belongings. But can be a bummer if your car keys are in your desk!
Sometimes there are conference rooms outside the secured perimeter of a building, in the lobby before you go past the receptionist and have to badge in. I've seen them used for interviews and such. Since Google X has all sorts of top secret stuff, I could see them doing things that way.
That and the idea that he would wear skates to a meeting where he intends to show a group of comedy writers the seriousness of his work make this anecdote very unbelievable.
Just search for Astro Teller rollerblades :)
Those search results are heavily polluted by stories of this interview now. It's weird that they would give him trouble if he always wears them. If only Google had figured out a way for people to have human-powered wheeled transportation between buildings without having to be hobbled indoors...