Google has spent a whopping $1 billion on a new London HQ.
Google's £1b London HQ
After renting out office space at the striking Central Saint Giles complex near to Tottenham Court Road - which also houses NBCUniversal - the technology company has bought the entire development, which was designed by the same designer of The Shard in the British capital and Paris' Pompidou centre, Renzo Piano.
Ruth Porat, the chief financial officer of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google, said: "We have been privileged to operate in the UK for nearly 20 years, and our purchase of the Central Saint Giles development reflects our continued commitment to the country’s growth and success."
Google previously purchased another 11-storey building in Kings Cross for the same price, which will be completed later this year.
The multinational firm has adopted a flexible approach to working since the COVID-19 pandemic, with their employees able to choose whether they want to work from home, on-site or a combination of the two.
Ronan Harris, Google's UK and Ireland boss, said: "We believe that the future of work is flexibility.
"Whilst the majority of our UK employees want to be on-site some of the time, they also want the flexibility of working from home a couple of days a week. Some of our people will want to be fully remote. Our future UK workplace has room for all of those possibilities."