Salesforce Announces HQ2 in Seattle

Competing with Amazon, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff just announced they will create a secondary headquarters in Seattle.  Dubbed their “HQ2” in reference to Amazon’s latest expansion into Virginia, Salesforce is a technology giant featuring cloud-based platforms.  This announcement of its new HQ2 comes on the heels of its $15.7 Billion acquisition of Tableau Software, a data company whose headquarters are in Fremont.

Benioff likes the idea of building its headquarters in Seattle, mainly because of all the tech talent already here.  Salesforce has about 1,000 employees in Bellevue and Tableau has over 4,200 nationwide.  It is unclear if Seattle or Bellevue will be home to HQ2.  With rumors that Amazon will build their second HQ2 in Bellevue as well, it makes sense for Salesforce to compete with Amazon in Bellevue.

This latest merger, set to close by the end of third quarter, will definitely add more jobs to the Greater Seattle area.  Tableau had just opened a new office in Kirkland and plans to hire more people in their Fremont location.  Only time will tell how the acquisition will affect the area, but one thing’s for sure: Seattle will see a new influx of residents moving to the beautiful Pacific Northwest.