New Apple Campus In Seattle Will Bring 2,000 Jobs

SEATTLE, WA — Apple will open a new campus in the South Lake Union neighborhood and hire up to 2,000 employees over the next three years — all just one block from the heart of Amazon's headquarters.

Apple executives, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Seattle Chamber CEO Marilyn Strickland made the announcement on Monday afternoon. The news follows a recent report by the Puget Sound Business Journal that Apple was set to lease 630,000 square-feet of office space inside a building at 333 Dexter Avenue, which is under construction.

Apple vice president Kristina Raspe said that the expansion is thanks to local leaders who have "created a vibrant economy" in Puget Sound. Rapse said Apple already has 500 employees in the region, including at the tech company's various retail stores.

Durkan acknowledged that adding 2,000 jobs in the downtown area will put a strain on transit and housing costs, but she didn't offer any news about how the city might accommodate the growth. She did name-check the Sound Transit 3 expansion, plus her administration's efforts to get free ORCA cards to public school students (and to 1,500 residents living in public housing).

"Apple’s 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," Durkan said at the press conference.

Apple has been steadily expanding its presence in Seattle, especially in jobs that specialize in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The company has about 50 job openings in Seattle right now, many dealing with Siri, the personal assistant iPhone feature.