Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is expanding its office space in Durham one and a half years after unveiling plans for a 1,000-job engineering hub there. The software behemoth has been keeping information on its Triangle employee count under wraps, but its proportion of office space looks to have increased significantly. The entire office complex at 200 Morris St. in Durham’s Innovation District is currently being subleased by Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL).
According to representatives of Duke University, the California-based corporation is subleasing nearly 150,000 square feet of space from the university. Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) had initially sublet a smaller room in Durham. According to Scott Selig, associate vice president of real estate at Duke University, the company has gradually extended its square footage despite the presence of ID.
According to a Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) spokeswoman, the company opened two levels earlier this year and now takes up four floors of the structure. She said Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) had so far created more than 340 jobs in North Carolina, including full-time and external supplier employment. However, she would not provide a precise figure for Durham.
The organization is now hiring for various positions in Durham, including technical writers and software developers. Although records reveal the state has been in contact with Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) for some time before the announcement of its Durham expansion last year, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has not sought out state incentives for the project. Roy Cooper, the governor of North Carolina, “pitched personally” to Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) while he was in California in 2018, according to email transcripts made available by the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
Just a few weeks before Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) published plans for a 3,000-job site in Research Triangle Park, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) unveiled plans for its Durham center in March 2021. However, the location of Google’s future permanent residence in Durham has not been made public. Sources claimed a year ago that the business was considering the American Tobacco Campus expansion for its residence in the Triangle.
Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) said in mid-July that it would stop hiring for two weeks to slow down the growth of its employees. According to CEO Sundar Pichai, the business will reduce hiring for the remainder of 2022, after its personnel increased by 10,000 in the second quarter.
Numerous tech firms in the Triangle are still trying to find the ideal mix of in-office and remote work, which is why Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) decided to expand its local presence. However, some CEOs continue to place long-term bets on their positions. With the purchase of Chapel Hill-based Skia, a firm that got its start over a T-shirt store on Franklin Street, Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) made its presence felt in the area.
Featured Image: Megapixl @Miluxian
