Meta's Vice President of Expansion and Infrastructure, Javier Olivan, has announced that the US company will hire up to 2,000 people in Spain over the next five years. This news is related to the opening of the world's first Meta Lab in Madrid. "We put Spain at the heart of our company's future," he says.

The Meta Lab will serve as a support centre for Meta's remote employees in Spain and will also provide space for local technology entrepreneurs and startups. Facebook's parent company plans to double the office space it currently has in the Spanish capital, and has also announced the start of the process for the construction of a new data centre in Castile-La Mancha.

Submarine cables
The new investments join earlier ones announced, such as the collaboration with Telefónica to establish a Metaverse Innovation Hub in Madrid, and the connection of Spain to the world's first half-petabit transatlantic submarine cable and the 2Africa cable.

The new positions will be highly skilled, and are part of Meta's strategy to help build the metaverse, support local entrepreneurs and technology companies, and encourage investment in essential digital infrastructure.

"Spain is at the forefront of European technology," says Olivan. "It has two strong technology hubs with advantages for the country, Barcelona and Madrid, which are at the heart of the technology landscape and attract local and international entrepreneurs, talent and investors, as well as the newest centres in Valencia and Andalusia".

Record levels of investment
As the executive points out, "Spain is seeing record levels of investment in startups that solve all kinds of problems ranging from online food delivery to neuroelectronics. Meta has been present in the country for a long time: in addition to English, Spanish was the first language on Facebook in 2007; we started operating in Spain in 2009 and opened our first office there in 2015".

Looking ahead, it still makes sense for the company to invest in Spain, and the metaverse will be central to that strategy, "The metaverse will not be owned by any one company and will not emerge overnight, but it has the potential to help unlock access to new creative, social and financial opportunities, and we want Spanish people to help us shape it from the outset.”

Vote of confidence
With this goal of participating in the construction of the metaverse, Meta wants its new Meta Lab to play a major role in the Spanish technology scene. Olivan thus explains, "Our investments in connectivity will benefit other technology companies, driving innovation and growth across the industry.” The executive alluded to an independent study that reveals that the Marea cable, powered by Meta, has contributed some 18 billion euros each year to the European economy since 2019.

"These additional investments we are announcing are a vote of confidence in the strength of the Spanish technology industry and the potential of Spanish technology talent," concludes Olivan. "We look forward to further strengthening our presence in the country, innovating in Europe, for Europe".

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