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PHOENIX - The video conferencing company Zoom will be opening a research and development center in the greater Phoenix area with plans to hire for hundreds of software engineers over the next few years.
The company made the announcement on May 14 and says they are looking for space near Arizona State University, with an aim to hire recent engineering graduates.
"What we can see now is as Zoom evolves, new ways of learning will be enhanced, new technologies will be enhanced by Zoom, that has then enabled us at ASU to expand in our two traditional platform -- ASU on-campus learning and ASU online learning," said ASU President Michael Crow. "We now have a third way of learning, which is ASU synchronous learning, like you and I are talking right now."
Phoenix is one of two cities - including Pittsburgh - to be chosen by the company for expansion. Zoom has been working with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council for a year to ensure the expansion's success. GPEC's President and CEO Chris Camacho, says the office will be state-of-the-art.
"Kind of an engineering pod where you have software development, individuals building codes, working with their peers on cyberware, and other kind of protection technologies in the digital era," said Camacho.
“Zoom’s expansion is a monumental addition bringing substantial economic investment to Greater Phoenix at a critical time, with enterprise technology at the core of our region's recovery," said Chris Camacho, president & CEO at the Greater Phoenix Economic Council in the statement. “Zoom's entry into Greater Phoenix creates hundreds of high-paying, high-skilled jobs in engineering."
The telecommunications company is based in San Jose, California, and has grown in usage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company was heavily focused on engineering talent, and with ASU having one of the largest engineering programs in the United States, Camacho says that played a big role in the decision to come to Arizona.
"These types of technology companies need access to strong talent, so being aligned with ASU Engineering School is really what made this decision possible," said Camacho.
President Crow says this is an opportunity for ASU's Fulton School of Engineering to become engaged in the next economy.
"It proves that our model works, that we can attract companies and maintain companies and modernize companies for the next economy, so for us, it's a very positive step," said President Crow.
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