Amazon pauses work on six new U.S. office buildings to weigh hybrid work needs

Amazon is pausing the construction of six new office buildings to reevaluate the designs to suit hybrid work


REUTERS July 16, 2022
The logo of Amazon is pictured inside the company's office in Bengaluru, India, April 20, 2018. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

Amazon.com Inc is pausing the construction of six new office buildings in Bellevue and Nashville to reevaluate the designs to suit hybrid work, the tech giant said on Friday.

The pausing and delay of construction will not affect Amazon's hiring plans, a company spokesperson said, reiterating the firm's proposal to create 25,000 jobs in Bellevue and another 5,000 in Nashville.

"The pandemic has significantly changed the way people work ... Our offices are long-term investments and we want to make sure that we design them in a way that meets our employees' needs in the future," said John Schoettler, vice president of Global Real Estate and Facilities at Amazon.

Separately, Bloomberg News reported on Friday that Facebook parent Meta Platforms and Amazon have pulled back on their office expansion plans in New York City. 

Meta has decided not to take an additional 300,000 square feet of space at 770 Broadway, a building near Astor Place where it is already located and Amazon has cut down the amount of space it intended to lease from JPMorgan Chase & Co at Hudson Yards, the report said.

"There are often a number of reasons why we wouldn't proceed with a particular deal, including office utilization. The past few years have brought new possibilities around the ways we connect and work," a Meta spokesperson told Reuters without confirming or denying the report.

"We remain firmly committed to New York and look forward to opening the Farley in the coming months," the spokesperson added.

"There are often a number of reasons why we wouldn't proceed with a particular deal, including office utilization. The past few years have brought new possibilities around the ways we connect and work," a Meta spokesperson told Reuters without confirming or denying the report.

"We remain firmly committed to New York and look forward to opening the Farley in the coming months," the spokesperson added.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ