Listen to this article 4 min
TikTok is looking to expand its offices in the Seattle area, commercial real estate industry sources told the Business Journal.
The social media company, owned by Beijing-based ByteDance, planted its flag in late 2021 in Bellevue, where it subleased 44,000 square feet in the Key Center from SAP Concur. TikTok has since been on a hiring spree, poaching employees from local companies like Amazon and Microsoft.
Two sources said the company has been looking on both sides of Lake Washington for more space. Its local expansion was also the subject of a report by The Information. TikTok has picked Seattle as its main e-commerce hub, it said, with plans to aggressively grow its local workforce to challenge Amazon's hold on online shopping.
The company is reportedly offering relocation packages worth thousands of dollars to employees based in other offices to move to Seattle. The Information also said TikTok is now requiring new e-commerce hires to be based out of Seattle.
The company's e-commerce focus is TikTok Shop, a shopping service offered through the popular app, which it recently rolled out.
TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.
TikTok's hiring in Bellevue is outpacing every tech company in the city, including Amazon, according to job postings. TikTok has 684 open roles in the city, up from the 642 just weeks ago. Its local workforce has also jumped to over 650, according to LinkedIn data.
The company, which requires employees to work in person, will have its pick of office space in Seattle and Bellevue, due in part to massive exits by Amazon and Microsoft. Amazon has in recent years left the West 8th tower and 2201 Westlake building in downtown Seattle, and in Bellevue Microsoft has declined to renew leases in the Bravern towers, City Center Plaza and Lincoln Square South.
Between the two companies, over 3 million square feet of office space have been put on the market in the Puget Sound region over the past two years.
