Facebook sets its sights on London
Facebook plans to open a new headquarters in London next year and create 500 more jobs there.
The U.K. is "one of the best places for a technology company and an important part of Facebook's story," Vice President for Europe Nicola Mendelsohn announced Monday. The company came to London in 2007 "with a handful of employees" and plans to employ 1,500 people at its new headquarters in the British capital by the end of next year. According to the statement, the company is primarily looking for highly qualified engineers. In the UK, most engineers work for Facebook outside the US.
The company developed its social network for companies called Workplace there, which was launched in October. In Somerset, southwest England, the company is also building driverless aircraft powered by solar energy to bring Internet connectivity to remote regions. London Mayor Sadiq Khan sees Facebook's announcement as another sign "that London's strength as a technology hub continues to grow." London remains the "best city in Europe" for digital startups, he said. Just last week, U.S. Internet company Google announced plans to build a new office building in London and create an estimated 3,000 new jobs. In 2018, about 7000 Google employees are then expected to work in the British capital. (SDA)
