Facebook has updated its status. By the end of 2008 the international headquarters of the world’s largest online social networking site will have relocated to Dublin.
Facebook has updated its status. By the end of 2008 the international headquarters of the world’s largest online social networking site will have relocated to Dublin. The news was announced on October 2nd by an Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan TD. Ireland will now be the centre of Facebook’s international operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ms. Coughlan praised the decision of Facebook directors to base their international services here, “As a growing global economy, this is an exciting investment for our country to host the leader in social networking.”
The meteoric rise of Facebook since its foundation in February 2004, by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, has seen it establish itself as the premier social networking site in the world. In less than five years, Facebook has seen its friend list grow to over one hundred million, making it the fourth most-trafficked website in the world. It is a privately held company, currently based in Palo Alto, California.
According to Barry O’Leary, CEO of IDA Ireland, it is a welcome endorsement of the substantial benefits Ireland provides to multinational companies located here. The move was influenced by the availability of a highly skilled local workforce, and follows other successful online companies such as Google, who have also chosen to base their operations in Dublin. According to Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, one of the main attractions of Dublin was the top-class services and workforce available in the area, “The talent pool in Dublin is world-class and recruiting local talent will help us better understand the needs of local users and the regional dynamics that, in turn, can give us better insight into what features matter most.”
At present Facebook employs more than six hundred people, with up to seventy jobs earmarked for the Dublin site. Jobs in the legal counsel area are already being advertised on the Facebook jobs page, as well as vacancies in sales operations and human resources. The decision comes at a time when Irish industry and employment is in disarray following the global stock market crisis.
As of last week, Facebook were not forthcoming as to where they will be sourcing their employees from, but it is likely that the world’s most successful online social networking site will attract a young and dynamic workforce. In the US, where Facebook’s headquarters are currently based, they have initiated a recruitment drive targeting University Students. The company offers exciting benefits and opportunities to develop your career along with the swiftly expanding company. They search for the most talented and innovative students and graduates for full-time and internship opportunities.
In this rapidly advancing software industry, other companies such as Yahoo! and Google have had their pick of the most outstanding students of the computer generation. The unprecedented popularity of Facebook, can be compared to that of other silicon valley successes such as Microsoft. The pioneering employees of this computer-age phenomenon enjoyed stakes in a company that multiplied the value of its shares to mega-millions. An innovative company like Facebook can also be a dream job for gifted computer engineers and product designers. According to Boz, a current software engineer featured on the sites jobs page, there is no limit to the new inventions and ideas permitted, “Your role is limited only by your energy, not by your title or your seniority. If you want to create a new product, it is yours to build.” For those who want to play a role in the development of the fourth most trafficked website in the world, the opportunity is only a click away. Facebook invites budding computer engineers to try one of their ‘puzzles’ found on the jobs webpage in order prove their worth and attract the attention of the company bosses.
No information has been released yet as to the exact location of the headquarters, but Facebook will have a ready network of friends with other leading online companies such as Google and Yahoo! based in the city centre.
