Google Announces Chicago as a New Financial Hub for the Company

Google to Add Hundreds of Jobs

“Chicago’s tech scene has grown tremendously over the past several years and Google has been an important partner in that effort. The company continues to add new jobs and spur economic growth all while being a strong corporate partner for our residents. I look forward to seeing the company continue to grow in Chicago for years to come.”

-Mayor Rahm Emanuel

On February 15, Mayor Rahm Emanuel joined Google to announce their plans to add hundreds of new jobs in Chicago over the next two years. As part of its national expansion plan, Google selected Chicago as the new hub for its finance division, adding hundreds of jobs with the potential for additional growth in future years. The announcement of Chicago as the new finance hub comes days after Google CEO Sundar Pichai detailed a $13B investment in offices and data centers across the U.S.

“Chicago’s tech scene has grown tremendously over the past several years and Google has been an important partner in that effort,” said Mayor Emanuel. “The company continues to add new jobs and spur economic growth all while being a strong corporate partner for our residents. I look forward to seeing the company continue to grow in Chicago for years to come.”

Google currently has over 1,000 employees working out of its Chicago office, which has been located in Fulton Market since November 2015. The announcement of Chicago being named a new hub for Google’s finance team builds on Google’s previous plans, announced in fall 2018, to lease an additional 132,000 square feet in Fulton Market to support the company’s continuous growth.  With the addition of the new finance hub and second lease in Fulton Market, Google will have the capacity to double the company’s workforce in Chicago by the end of 2019.

“We looked at a lot of cities to find the right home for our new team and decided that Chicago’s culture, diversity and strong emphasis on community makes it a perfect fit for Google.”

– Karen Sauder, Google Vice President of Sales and site lead for Chicago

“We looked at a lot of cities to find the right home for our new team and decided that Chicago’s culture, diversity and strong emphasis on community makes it a perfect fit for Google,” said Google Vice President of Sales and site lead for Chicago, Karen Sauder.

Chicago is ranked as one of the top five North American tech hubs. Tech remains Chicago’s fastest growing industry sector, employing more than 143,000 people working with more than 4,000 digital companies, one of the largest tech talent pools in the United States. Tech companies occupy almost twice as much office space in Chicago in 2018 than in 2014, 13.5 million square feet, demonstrating continued startup growth and entry from large tech companies.

“Today’s announcement from Google further demonstrates Chicago’s position as a global leader in tech and innovation,” said Andrea Zopp, president and CEO of World Business Chicago. “From major companies like Google to rapidly growing start-ups, Chicago’s tech economy is booming and creating new jobs for our unparalleled talent pool.”

The announcement of the Chicago office expansion was made during a ceremony to award $1 million in grants to Illinois nonprofits as part of the Google.org Impact Challenge Illinois. Ten nonprofit finalists, selected by a panel of advisors that included former Governor Jim Edgar, Tina Tchen and Matt Forte, each received a $75,000 grant for the most innovative ideas to create economic opportunity in Illinois.