Facebook Inc. plans to begin moving into its new Austin home at 300 West Sixth Street on Monday, May 3. The company expects to employ 200 people in the downtown location within the next four years.
“We’re incredibly excited to be opening this office in the heart of the city on 6th Street,” said Sarah Smith, head of Austin online
operations for Facebook, Inc. “This vibrant downtown location will allow us to attract great talent, create an open and innovative work environment, and give us room to grow over the coming years.”
The California-based social media will initially occupy 21,000 square feet of the 23-story building, said Smith. The building, owned and managed by Thomas Properties Group, was completed in 2002.
TPG Managing Director Andy Smith said, “We are extremely excited to have a company like Facebook as a new tenant at 300 West 6th. This is another example of the kind of progressive, fast-growing company that Thomas Properties and downtown is looking to attract. We believe this is just the beginning for our portfolio and the CBD to meet the cultural needs of this generation.”
The move is Facebook’s first major U.S. expansion outside California and considered a boon to Austin’s reputation as a technology hotbed, especially in the social media sector, said the Austin Business Journal.
Facebook, which employs about 1,200 workers, expects to invest about $3.1 million to set up local operations, state officials have said.
