SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 28, 2019– Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) today announced an expansion of its Austin Tech Hub and plans to create 800 new tech jobs in fields including software and hardware engineering, research science, and cloud computing. Together with its customer fulfillment facilities, Amazon has created more than 22,000 full-time jobs in Texas and since 2011 has invested over $7 billion in the state, including infrastructure and compensation to its employees.
“In the last four years, we have created more than a 1,000 jobs in Austin,” said Terry Leeper, General Manager of Amazon’s Austin Tech Hub. “With a strong pool of technical talent in Austin and a dynamic quality of life, we are excited to continue to expand and create more opportunity in this vibrant city.”
“The state of Texas has cultivated a strong and vibrant business environment, leading to more jobs and greater innovation,” said Governor Abbott. “With today’s announcement and continued investment in the technology sector, Texas will continue to chart a path toward greater economic prosperity.”
“It is no surprise that Texas’ booming economy continues to attract innovative companies, both large and small. Amazon’s decision to further expand comes with the recognition that Texas continues to boast a pro-business environment that helps businesses and families to grow, thrive, and succeed,” said Congressman McCaul. “This expansion will help ensure Austin remains at the cutting-edge of the tech that’s fueling and driving emerging markets.”
“I’m pleased that Amazon is doubling down on Austin by expanding the Tech Hub,” said Senator Watson. “Austin is a special place that fosters creativity and innovation, and I appreciate that Amazon has chosen to become an even greater contributor to our dynamic community and economy.”
“We are pleased to see Amazon’s significant investment in the Austin region continue to grow,” said Gary Farmer, Opportunity Austin Chair, Austin Chamber of Commerce. “This expanding presence is indicative of our region’s ability to provide creative and innovative talent. We’re proud to call Amazon a partner in our efforts to achieve regional prosperity.”
Amazon’s Austin Tech Hub is one of the company’s 17 North American Tech Hubs – a network of development centers in addition to Amazon’s Seattle and Northern Virginia headquarters. Together, these Hubs have more than 20,000 employees, building new products and services for Amazon customers around the world. Austin-based teams primarily focus on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon Business, Amazon devices, video game design, advertising and more. To accommodate the additional job creation in Austin, Amazon will expand into a new 145,000 square foot office in The Domain, opening in 2020. Amazon’s new office will be located in Domain 10 owned by TIER REIT, which is co-developing the project with Endeavor Real Estate Group.
Named #1 on LinkedIn Top Companies in 2018, Amazon provides comprehensive benefits to its employees, including healthcare from day one, 401(k) with 50 percent match and flexible parental leave —from the company’s most senior executives to its hourly FC associates. Amazon also offers a range of programs to equip job seekers and employees with the skills they need for new, in-demand jobs, from paid cloud computing apprenticeships for military veterans, to its innovative Career Choice program, which pre-pays 95% of tuition for courses in in-demand fields, regardless of whether skills are relevant to a career at Amazon. To date, more than 12,000 employees have participated in Career Choice in the United States, pursuing degrees in healthcare, information technology, and many more areas of study.
Investing and creating jobs in Texas
Since 2011, Amazon has invested over $7 billion in Texas, from building customer fulfillment facilities, cloud infrastructure, and a 253-megawatt (MW) wind farm to compensation to its teams. The company estimates that these direct investments in the state contributed more than $5 billion to Texas’ economy (2011-2017) and generated an additional 30,000 indirect jobs on top of the company’s direct hires. There are also more than 130,000 authors, developers, and small and medium-sized businesses in Texas growing their businesses with Amazon.
Additionally, as part of Amazon’s ongoing commitment to the communities where our employees live and work, the Amazon Future Engineer program – a childhood-to-career program to inspire, educate and propel children and young adults from underserved and underrepresented communities to pursue careers in computer science – has added more than 90 high schools across Texas to date. Amazon has supported more than a hundred local schools and organizations in Texas through monetary and in-kind donations, and employees have dedicated thousands of volunteer hours to charities such as the North Texas Food Bank and Dallas Special Olympics Competition. In 2017, Amazonalso aided with disaster relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey, which included AWS’ support of supplemental call centers for the Red Cross and work with the Texas Homeless Network.
Over the past seven years, the company has invested more than $160 billion in the U.S., including corporate offices, development and research centers, fulfillment infrastructure, and compensation to its employees.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
