Facebook to Add 500 Staff in U.K.
November 21 2016 - 9:50AM
Dow Jones News
LONDON—Facebook Inc. said Monday that it would add 500 employees
in the U.K. next year, making it at least the third Silicon Valley
giant to announce British expansion plans after the country's
Brexit vote in June to leave the European Union.
Nicola Mendelsohn, vice president of Facebook in Europe, the
Middle East and Africa, said at a conference Monday that it was too
early to judge how Brexit would affect the company, but she
stressed that the freedom of movement of talent is important for
the group.
Adding 500 employees would boost Facebook's labor presence in
the U.K. by 50%.
Apple Inc. said in September that it planned to open a new
London campus in 2021. Alphabet Inc's Google said last week that it
would move ahead with plans to build a three-building campus near
King's Cross train station in central London.
Politicians have seized on the hat-trick of announcements as a
sign that Britain remains open for business following Brexit,
following concerns that the technology sector could suffer from the
U.K.'s planned EU exit.
Some tech companies had warned before the June referendum that
Brexit would create obstacles to doing business in the U.K. and add
an additional regulatory burden, though the industry could benefit
from a loosening of EU regulations which have seen large U.S. tech
companies clash with the bloc.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the decision shows that the city's
position as a tech hub "keeps on growing."
Earlier Monday, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said it would do
the U.K. a disservice for the government to provide a "running
commentary" on its negotiation position at this stage, amid calls
from British business leaders to provide clarity on the U.K.'s
position.
Philip Georgiadis contributed to this article.
Write to Stu Woo at Stu.Woo@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 21, 2016 09:35 ET (14:35 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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