It looks like Austin will become even more of a social media hub in the coming months — TikTok is staking claim to office space downtown, just one month after its competitor Meta announced it was doing the same.
The social media giant has leased the top six floors of 300 Colorado, multiple sources have the Austin Business Journal.
The new 32-story downtown tower was completed last year. Of the building’s total 353,000 sqft, TikTok offices will account for ~126,000 sqft.
The news isn’t entirely unexpected, as reports that the company was looking for an office in Austin have been circulating since 2020. The company also already has some executives based in the Capital City, including Blake Chandlee, its president of global business solutions. TikTok had 96 job listings in Austin as of this weekend.
The news comes just weeks after Meta, Facebook’s parent company, announced intentions to lease all of the commercial space in Sixth and Guadalupe. This tower, currently under construction, will contain 589,000 sqft of office space — oh, and it’ll also be the tallest building in the city.
(If you’re interested in learning more about Austin’s tallest tower, read our interview with the building’s lead architect.)
Coincidentally, Meta was initially considering leasing office space in 300 Colorado, but walked away from negotiations last year.
The two tech powerhouses’ office spaces will be just a few blocks from each other, and from Block 185, the new 720,000-sqft Google office on Cesar Chavez Street.
Talk about Silicon Hills. Austin’s tech scene has been booming in recent years, despite slowed job growth caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, tech jobs in Austin actually increased by 3.5% while total jobs fell by 2.9%.
What are your thoughts on Austin’s new social media hub status?
