Google plans to put over USD 1 billion into a new campus in New York City, at Google Hudson Square. The office will have the capacity to more than double the number of Google employees in New York over the next 10 years. Google set up offices in the city almost 20 years ago and now has more than 7,000 employees working in Search, Ads, Maps, YouTube, Cloud, Technical Infrastructure, Sales, Partnerships and Research. The news follows recent announcements by Amazon that it will establish new co-headquarters in New York City and Arlington, Virginia. Apple said it will be expanding its operations into more cities over the next three years, including in New York.
The company earlier this year announced the USD 2.4 billion purchase of the Manhattan Chelsea Market and shared plans to lease additional space at Pier 57. It has signed lease agreements at 315 and 345 Hudson Street and a letter of intent at 550 Washington, with the creation of a campus of over 1.7 million square-feet.
The new Google Hudson Square will become the company’s main location for its New York-based Global Business Organization. Google noted that is a great supporter of projects in the city, including of the High Line and Hudson River Park, and that it partnered with the New York City Public Library System to provide free Wi-Fi hotspots to public school students and families without home internet access. It recently also donated USD 1.5 million to the Stonewall National Monument Preservation Project and joined forces with 19 local businesses to establish the Westside Community Fund. It has funded programmes like MotherCoders NYC, provided space to organisations like Black Girls Code and hosted Cornell Tech while its permanent campus on Roosevelt Island was under construction.
This coming spring, Grow with Google, the company’s initiative to create economic opportunities for all Americans, will come to New York City with a temporary digital skills learning centre on the ground floor of the company’s office on 8th Avenue in Chelsea. Grow with Google will host free hands-on workshops, one-on-one coaching and community events with local partners.
