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Facebook Launching New Engineering Division in Midtown

By DNAinfo Staff on December 2, 2011 3:11pm  | Updated on December 2, 2011 6:02pm

Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, speaks on December 2, 2011 in New York City. Facebook will be opening a center for engineers in New York City in 2012. Facebook, the world's largest social networking company, is expected to file for an IPO in April, and a public offering could reach a valuation of up to $100 billion and raise $10 billion.
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, speaks on December 2, 2011 in New York City. Facebook will be opening a center for engineers in New York City in 2012. Facebook, the world's largest social networking company, is expected to file for an IPO in April, and a public offering could reach a valuation of up to $100 billion and raise $10 billion.
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

By Jill Colvin and Tom Liddy

DNAinfo Staff

MIDTOWN — Facebook likes New York.

The social-media giant is planning to open a new engineering division in Midtown next year in a move that elected officials hope will cement the city's status as an engineering hub, and create a job machine that fuels the high-tech sector.

"We’re expanding our efforts in New York so that we can also do engineering," Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg told reporters Friday at a press conference at the company's sprawling offices on Madison Avenue, near East 44th Street.

The new engineering team will be the first for the soon-to-be-public company outside of the West Coast, and Facebook will begin accepting job applications immediately, company officials said.

Facebook is displayed on a laptop computer on May 9, 2011, in San Anselmo, California.
Facebook is displayed on a laptop computer on May 9, 2011, in San Anselmo, California.
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Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Facebook, which currently employs 3,000 people nationwide, intends to add "thousands" of engineering jobs at the hugely popular website over the coming year, said Sandberg.

Mike Schroepfer, the company's vice president of engineering, said the company picked new York after scouting numerous locations because of its “huge momentum" in the hig-tech sector.

"We said, where else can we go in the world to find the smartest, most entrepreneurial engineers in the world?" he said. "We looked around and decided the best place, by a large margin, would be New York City."

The new division, which is slated to open in early 2012, will be led by Serkan Piantino, who manages the engineering team for Facebook's Newsfeed and had nothing but love for the city.

“Both New York and Facebook share this kind of energy that’s really hard to describe. And both make you feel like you’re part of something bigger than yourself," he said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Charles Schumer, who toured the startup's office before the event and wrote messages on the company's large whiteboard "wall," hailed the move as evidence of the city's growth in the industry.

"Facebook's decision to come to New York and tap into our tremendous wealth of tech talent, I think is conclusive proof that we're well on our way to achieving our goal, and that is to become the world's number one hub for information technology and social media," Bloomberg said.

The mayor has spearheaded the city's push to attract more in-demand tech engineers, including launching a contest to lure a top school to build a new science and engineering campus on city land.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a keynote address during the Facebook f8 conference on September 22, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the conference introducing a Timeline feature to the popular social network.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg delivers a keynote address during the Facebook f8 conference on September 22, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg kicked off the conference introducing a Timeline feature to the popular social network.
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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Bloomberg noted that as he was speaking, top administration officials were meeting with some of the applicants still in the race.

Sen. Schumer said that Facebook's move marks a turning point for the city, officially cementing its status as a high-tech leader.

"The fact that a company like Facebook is locating engineers here says that we have turned the corner,” he said.

The company's office currently handles Facebook's global marketing efforts.

Facebook officials said that some 3.2 million small business have a presence on the social-networking tool.

Those interested in applying for jobs can visit https://www.facebook.com/careers/department.php?dept=new-york.