Apple adding 2,000 employees to Seattle office located blocks from Amazon’s HQ
There will be more Apple employees roaming Seattle just blocks away from Amazon’s headquarters in the near future.
Apple and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced Monday that the tech giant will be opening a 635,000-square-foot office in the Washington city this year and will hire 2,000 employees over the next five years. The company plans to add 200 jobs by the end of 2019, The Seattle Times reported.
“These new jobs confirm what we already knew, we have the best talent and city anywhere. Apple’s expanded footprint in Seattle is another example of the growing opportunity that exists for residents of Seattle and the economic powerhouse our City has become,” Durkan said in a statement Monday. “Yet we know that as Seattle continues to grow, we must act urgently to address the pressures that follow – from tackling affordability to new affordable housing to increasing transit.”
Apple will be leasing out two 12-story buildings at 222 Dexter Ave. that includes 19,000 square feet of outdoor space. The complex could hold more than 3,000 employees. The tech company currently employees about 500 people at its retail locations and office.
Durkan, in a news conference with Apple’s Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities Kristina Raspe, said Seattle has attracted major companies without offering incentives such as tax breaks.
“We’re able to have companies come locate here at this scale without us having to offer those kinds of incentives,” Durkan said.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAPL | APPLE INC. | 217.96 | +0.47 | +0.22% |
Several people raised the concern of rising housing costs in the city, but Durkan said the issue will be addressed.
“We want to make sure that we are able to take advantage of some of the lessons San Francisco shows us,” she said.
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The iPhone maker said last year it plans to expand its U.S. presence by adding new engineering hubs in cities, including bringing 6,200 employees to a campus in Austin, Tex.