According to a report by Bloomberg Business, Apple Inc. recently signed a lease for the entire 44th floor and half of the 45th floor at Two Union Square in Downtown Seattle. The 56-story skyscraper is the third tallest building in Seattle. The rented space includes about 30,000 square feet, which can hold anywhere from 120 to 200 employees according to typical corporate leasing ratios.
Apple will join Silicon Valley tech giants like Facebook, Google and Alibaba who have already opened additional offices in the greater Seattle area. Seattle is a fairly attractive area for individuals living in the San Francisco Bay area, with a lower cost of living and a thriving economic market (especially in the tech industry).
In 2014, Apple opened an engineering office in Seattle to focus on its cloud-computing services and overall network infrastructure. The move suggests Seattle could serve as the hub for a high-speed cloud services network in the future.
Apple has also began construction on a brand new “spaceship” campus design for its Cupertino headquarters. The company employs about 115,000 worldwide and has added over 9,000 employees over the past year.