Amazon to Expand Tech Hubs, Corporate Offices, Adding 3,500 Jobs

The logo of Amazon is seen on the door of an Amazon Books retail store in New York City, US, February 14, 2019. (Reuters)
The logo of Amazon is seen on the door of an Amazon Books retail store in New York City, US, February 14, 2019. (Reuters)
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Amazon to Expand Tech Hubs, Corporate Offices, Adding 3,500 Jobs

The logo of Amazon is seen on the door of an Amazon Books retail store in New York City, US, February 14, 2019. (Reuters)
The logo of Amazon is seen on the door of an Amazon Books retail store in New York City, US, February 14, 2019. (Reuters)

Amazon unveiled plans Tuesday to hire 3,500 new employees as part of an expansion of its technology hubs and corporate offices across the United States.

The US technology and e-commerce giant said the latest plans call for some 2,000 new jobs in New York City, where Amazon has acquired the landmark Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Avenue.

The move comes after Amazon -- which has seen gains in revenue during the pandemic from its e-commerce and cloud computing operations -- said it would make permanent 125,000 of the 175,000 jobs it added since the start of the public health crisis.

The latest moves expand Amazon tech hubs in Dallas, Detroit, Denver, New York, Phoenix and San Diego and represent an investment of some $1.4 billion, according to the company.

"People from all walks of life come to Amazon to develop their careers -- from recent graduates looking for a place to turn their ideas into high-impact products, to veterans accessing new jobs in cloud computing thanks to our upskilling programs," said Beth Galetti, senior vice president of human resources at Amazon.

"These 3,500 new jobs will be in cities across the country with strong and diverse talent pools. We look forward to helping these communities grow their emerging tech workforce."

In New York -- where Amazon had announced but then canceled plans for a high-profile headquarters -- the announcement confirms Amazon's acquisition of the iconic Lord & Taylor department store building earlier this year, in a deal reported to be worth nearly $1 billion, from office-sharing startup WeWork.

The building will be used for some 58,000 square meters (630,000 square feet) of office space, according to Amazon.

Amazon, whose expansion has attracted increased antitrust scrutiny in the US and elsewhere, said its global workforce now stands at some 876,000.

In addition to e-commerce and cloud computing, Amazon has operations in streaming video and music and artificial intelligence and owns the Whole Foods supermarket chain.

It recently unveiled plans to invest $10 billion for its planned space-based internet delivery system that will deploy more than 3,000 low-orbit satellites.



Apple Leads Surge in Global Tech Shares after Trump Tariff Relief

A plaque commemorating President Donald Trump’s and Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the US in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 August 2025. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL
A plaque commemorating President Donald Trump’s and Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the US in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 August 2025. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL
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Apple Leads Surge in Global Tech Shares after Trump Tariff Relief

A plaque commemorating President Donald Trump’s and Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the US in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 August 2025. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL
A plaque commemorating President Donald Trump’s and Apple CEO Tim Cook's announcement an additional $100 billion Apple investment in the US in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 August 2025. EPA/BONNIE CASH / POOL

Global technology stocks advanced on Thursday in a relief rally after the latest tariff salvo from US President Donald Trump largely exempted industry heavyweights from his threat to impose 100% levy on chips and semiconductors.

Trump said the new tariff rate would apply to "all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States," but would not apply to companies that had made a commitment to manufacture in the US or were in the process of doing so.

Apple's stock rose 3.3% in premarket trading after Trump's announcement on Wednesday that the company will invest an additional $100 billion in the US, a move that could help it sidestep potential tariffs on iPhones.

US-listed chipmakers advanced broadly, with Advanced Micro Devices up 2.5%, Intel gaining 2.1% and Nvidia up 1.1%, Reuters reported.

"A major uncertainty has been removed and investors can finally move on," UBS analysts said in a note.

Semiconductor manufacturing equipment supplier Applied Materials and chipmakers Texas Instruments, GlobalFoundries and Broadcom - Apple's partners in the investment effort - climbed between 0.8% and 10.1%.

European chipmakers also joined the rally, with ASML , ASMI and BE Semiconductor Industries climbing about 3% each.

Germany's Infineon said it could not speculate on possible semiconductor tariffs, as no details have been disclosed yet. Its shares were up 0.6%.

Trump's latest on semiconductor tariffs seemingly rules out Taiwanese chip contract manufacturer TSMC, which makes chips for most US companies, including Nvidia, as it has factories in the US.

"The market remains keen to buy TSMC on dips. Investors also believe they need to remain positioned in AI - with or without tariffs," UBS analysts said.

TSMC shares closed almost 5% higher to hit all-time highs, while Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix climbed 2.5% and 1.4%, respectively.

South Korea's Samsung and SK Hynix will also not be subjected to 100% tariffs on chips, the country's top trade envoy said.

Samsung has invested in two chip fabrication plants in Austin and Taylor, Texas, while SK Hynix has announced plans to build an advanced chip packaging plant and research and development facility for artificial intelligence products in Indiana.

Since stepping into the White House in January, Donald Trump has made several tariff threats, specifically on semiconductors, aimed at reshaping the supply chain of the industry and spurring domestic production.

"The (100% tariff) figure fits Trump's approach of 'open high, negotiate down' and the final figure could be similar to reciprocal tariffs to limit inflation in consumer goods, given that many have chips," said Phelix Lee, senior equity analyst at Morningstar.

Not everyone has come out of the latest blitz on the right side, with the Philippines and Malaysia looking to find out more details about the tariff rate.

Dan Lachica, the president of the trade body for the Philippine semiconductor industry, said 70% of its electronics exports are semiconductors and the new tariff rate would be "devastating". Philippine stocks were down 0.1% after falling as much as 0.9% during the day.

Malaysia's trade minister said the country has reached out to US counterparts for clarity on the tariffs.