Apple to develop $1B Austin school, include countless tasks in United States growth

Apple will develop a brand-new $1 billion school in Austin, Texas, part of a growth of operation throughout the United States, the business stated Thursday.

The iPhone maker will likewise establish brand-new workplaces in Seattle, San Diego and Culver City, California, in addition to broaden operations in Pittsburgh, New York and Boulder, Colorado, according to a release.

The prepared growth satisfies a vow Apple made in January to establish a 2nd big school in the United States. The business made the promise as it repatriated abroad money, producing a tax costs of $38 billion. The business stated it prepared to invest $30 billion in the United States over the next 5 years by developing a brand-new school and producing 20,000 brand-new tasks. Factoring in present costs, item sales tax and taxes on staff members’ incomes, Apple stated it anticipates to contribute $350 billion to the United States economy over that duration.

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“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,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in the release about the expansion.

The Austin campus will be located less than a mile away from existing Apple facilities, which already employ 6,200 people. The Austin workforce is Apple’s largest outside its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. The new area will initially hold 5,000 employees, with capacity to grow to 15,000 over time.

The Austin facility will take up about 3 million square feet of development on 133 acres. About 50 acres will be preserved open space, and the new campus’ work spaces will be entirely powered by renewable energy, as are all Apple facilities. 

Over the past decade, Apple has been steadily growing its operations and investing in new businesses, like developing its own original content. It also has been overhauling its Apple Stores and even its offices. Its new Apple Park campus opened to employees in April 2017, six years after company co-founder Steve Jobs pitched the project.

The new Austin facility will be located on undeveloped property, which means utilities infrastructure need to be installed before building can begin. Apple plans to submit a site preparation permit to the city and start development work next year. Its first buildings will open in roughly 30 to 36 months. 

Widespread expansion

The choice of locations for the other new offices — each of which will employ more than 1,000 people — hints at various aspects of Apple’s business and its opportunities to woo talent. Seattle is home to Microsoft and Amazon; San Diego is where chipmaker Qualcomm is based; and Culver City could be linked to its plans for original programming. 

It’ll also add hundreds of new jobs in Pittsburgh, New York, Boulder, Boston and Portland, Oregon, after having brought on 6,000 new American workers in 2018. The company noted that it’s on track to create 20,000 US jobs by 2023, as promised in January.

The announcement comes at a tough time for Apple. 

In August, Apple became the first US public company to valued at  $1 trillion. However, the company’s stock has lost about a quarter of its value since October, pushing it below that level. On Thursday, Apple’s shares were up 1 percent at $170.77.

Market watchers have been worried about Apple since it reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Nov. 1. Its quarterly results showed it may be grappling with iPhone fatigue — though it’s still getting people to shell out more money for the phones they do buy. Apple also said it would no longer detail unit sales of its major devices. The quarterly results and plans to no longer break out iPhone sales have made investors skittish.

Apple currently employs 90,000 people across the country, but has come under political pressure from President Donald Trump, who wants the company to move production of its devices to the US from China. Apple does the majority of its research and development in the US, but the bulk of its devices have been assembled overseas. Apple also potentially faces tariffs on its products as part of Trump’s trade war with China, which would mean higher iPhone, iPad and other device prices. 

The Austin expansion announcement comes a month after Amazon picked New York’s Queens borough and Arlington, Virginia, as the two locations for its HQ2 project, promising to bring 25,000 well-paying jobs to each of those locations.

Originally published at 3:30 a.m. PT
Update at 10:10 a.m. PT: Adds additional details and background.

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