Meta and Microsoft are emptying some of their offices in US; here's why

Amid layoffs in the tech sector, two of the tech industry's biggest names, Microsoft and Meta are vacating office spaces. A local media report suggests that both companies are leaving or leasing out their office spaces from Seattle, US. Apart from layoffs, the work-from-home and hybrid work culture has led to emptier offices.

According to a report by The Seattle Times, Microsoft and Meta office buildings in Seattle and Bellevue will be subleased. Microsoft has announced that it will not renew its lease at the City Center Plaza in Bellevue after June 2024. The downsizing of office space can be attributed to remote work trends and a general slowdown in the tech industry. Both Microsoft and Meta have extended their remote work policies and laid off a portion of their workforce in the past few months.

Also read: After mass layoffs, Meta pulls back full-time job offers

According to the report, Meta fired around 726 employees in the month of November. The company's spokesperson Tracy Clayton claimed that the decision to downsize office spaces was driven by the company's shift towards remote work, but also due to being financially cautious given the current economic climate.

Despite the downsizing, Meta still has offices in 29 buildings in Seattle. The report claims the company employs nearly 8,000 workers in the Seattle area, which is the company’s second-largest engineering hub outside of its Menlo Park headquarters.

Also read: 'Unlimited' vacation! Microsoft's new leave policy is every employee's dream

Microsoft has claimed that it has decided to leave some of the office space in Seattle in order to re-evaluate the firm’s real estate portfolio. They claim this is being down to "provide an exceptional place to work and create greater collaboration and community for our employees.”

Microsoft will complete its re-modeling of the Redmon campus in late 2023 which is also expected to be one of the reasons for giving up space in Seattle.