Apple plans to invest $1 billion in a new campus in North Austin that will add to the tech giant's already large presence in the city.
The new 133-acre campus will be home to about 5,000 new employees -- and it could grow to 15,000. That would make Apple larger than Dell -- and make it the biggest private employer in Austin.
Apple's existing North Austin campus employs more than 6,200, and its numbers have grown rapidly in the past several years, making it Apple's second largest campus outside of Cupertino, Calif.
Apple ❤️ Austin! Proud to announce our newest campus there, along with plans for new sites in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, CA as Apple expands operations and creates thousands of jobs across the US.https://t.co/f2UwlXW2Hk
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 13, 2018
These new jobs will include engineering, R&D, finance, sales and more. Meanwhile, the new campus, which will be about a mile from its existing campus off of Parmer Lane between MoPac and Highway 183, will run on renewable energy and include about 50 acres of preserved open space.
“Apple is proud to bring new investment, jobs and opportunity to cities across the United States and to significantly deepen our quarter-century partnership with the city and people of Austin,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “Talent, creativity and tomorrow’s breakthrough ideas aren’t limited by region or zip code, and, with this new expansion, we’re redoubling our commitment to cultivating the high-tech sector and workforce nationwide.”
Apple says will start site preparation in 2019 and open its first building in 30 to 36 months.
Cook visited Austin in August 2017 to announce the launch of a new app development program at Austin Community College and schools across the nation.
Apple's announcement on Thursday came as it announced smaller offices in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City. Those offices will all be 1,000-people plus. Apple will also add hundreds of jobs in Pittsburgh, New York, Boulder, Boston and Portland.
“Apple has been a vital part of the Austin community for a quarter century, and we are thrilled that they are deepening their investment in our people and the city we love,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler said in a news release. “Apple and Austin share a creative spark and a commitment to getting big things done. We share their commitment to diversity and inclusion. We’re excited they are bringing more middle-skilled jobs to the area.”
At an event at Austin's existing campus in North Austin, Mayor Steve Adler, Gov. Greg Abbott and Apple leaders celebrated the announcement along with hundreds of employees.
Adler thanked leaders from the Texas statehouse, Williamson County and Austin Chamber of Commerce.
“Ms. Claus told me that this holiday season I’d find a gift or two from apple under my tree," Adler joked. "How she managed to pull this one off, I have no idea.”
The mayor said that Apple, which has had a presence in Austin for about 25 years, is part of the Austin community.
“We are a young, growing, creative, forward-charging, entrepreneurial, friendly, welcoming community, and that is the story of Apple and it is the story of Apple in our city,” he said.
