Apple is planning to expand in Seattle with an additional 2,000 new hires over the course of the next five years, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced in a statement today.
Apple has several offices in Seattle with teams working on iCloud, artificial intelligence, and Siri, and recent rumors suggested Apple was planning a major expansion, which has now been confirmed. From Durkan:
"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. 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.
"By next year, an estimated 70% of jobs in Washington State will require some sort of post-secondary credential. It is my top priority that our kids growing up in Seattle today are prepared to fill the great engineering and computer science jobs that Apple announced today. That's why we created the Seattle Promise and the Opportunity Promise - so our youth are connected with resources and put on a path to the good paying jobs of Seattle's future."
Earlier this month, there were rumors that Apple was looking at leasing a large office complex in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood. Apple is said to be planning to occupy a two-tower building at 333 Dexter Avenue, which offers around 630,000 square feet of office space and could accommodate 4,200 employees.
Apple in late 2018 said that it would establish a new site in Seattle, which could be the large office building mentioned in rumors.
Apple already operates a major Seattle engineering hub focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning, and in 2018, expanded its office space at Two Union Square in downtown Seattle.
