Amazon Is Adding 2,000 More Jobs in Boston to Focus on Alexa, Cloud Computing
The e-commerce giant is expanding to a huge new office in the Seaport, where artificial intelligence, research, and development will be priorities.
Photo via iStock/AdrianHancu
Boston may not end up as Amazon’s HQ2 bride, but we’ve certainly got the maid of honor title locked down.
The jack-of-all-trades company announced Tuesday it plans to add 2,000 technology jobs to greater Boston in fields like machine learning, speech science, robotics engineering, and cloud computing. In February, Mayor Marty Walsh made public that Amazon inked a deal to move into a massive, 430,000-square-foot office in the Seaport in 2021, where employees will likely focus on Alexa and artificial intelligence projects.
“Amazon is excited to create 2,000 more jobs in greater Boston,” Rohit Prasad, Amazon’s vice president and head scientist of Alexa, said in a statement. “In just a few years, we’ve grown from a handful of software developers and scientists to a team of more than 1,200, inventing new capabilities and products on behalf of millions of customers around the world.”
The announcement is just the latest example of Amazon’s growing footprint in Massachusetts. Since 2011, the e-commerce behemoth has created more than 3,500 jobs and invested more than $400 million in the Bay State, according to a press release. In 2013, the company planted its flag in a corporate office in Cambridge and has since expanded to offices in the Back Bay and Fort Point.
Boston is still in the running to land Amazon’s coveted second headquarters—though, recent findings suggest we may not be too keen on winning the prize. The juggernaut is set to announce its new home by the end of the year, but until then, Bay State officials are touting the state’s robust business sector and its ability to woo top talent to the area.
“Massachusetts’ innovation economy is powered by a talented workforce, exceptional educational institutions, and companies like Amazon at the forefront of research and development,” Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. “Amazon’s expansion will bring thousands of new jobs to the Commonwealth and build upon the hundreds of jobs they already have here in research and development, fulfillment centers, and robotics.”
