Facebook Executive Says Manhattan Offices Key For Recruiting

The future of office properties has been in question since the pandemic emptied out Manhattan.

But Brian Rosenthal, a senior executive at Facebook, told Business Insider that having a physical space in New York is critical for the social media giant.

“So much of what we do is collaborative,” Rosenthal said. “[Software is] like writing a book together where all the plots have to connect and make sense and there are thousands of authors. It’s really hard to do if you’re not co-located in the same space and it’s important to even be able to see each other in the same space.”

That explains why Facebook signed a 730,000-square-foot lease at the Farley Post Office redevelopment earlier this month, even after some tech companies extended work-from-home policies or made them permanent.

Rosenthal added that the Facebook offices, such as the one in the Farley building owned by Vornado Realty Trust, will play a key role in product development, collaboration, growth, and recruitment — particularly for senior executives.

“Hiring senior people and having senior people able to grow their career here means having some of the most important technology challenges for the company here also,” Rosenthal said. [Business Insider] — Akiko Matsuda