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Tech

06th Jul 2017

WhatsApp to open an office in Dublin in the near future

Dublin's burgeoning reputation as a tech hub is about to get a further boost.

Conor Heneghan

WhatsApp

It won’t be a big one, but the potential is there for growth in the future.

Internet messaging giant WhatsApp is to establish a small support team in Dublin within Facebook’s offices in Dublin, the company has confirmed.

According to the Irish Times, WhatsApp may take on as few as six people in Dublin to assist its customer support team based in Menlo Park, California.

It is believed the decision to set up a base here is linked to the recent launch of new products and services in emerging markets such as India and that there is potential to expand the workforce in Dublin over time.

A WhatsApp spokeswoman confirmed the company’s plans to establish a base in Dublin to the Irish Times, saying: “WhatsApp intends to build a small support team in Dublin to better serve our growing community of users around the world.

“We’ve recently introduced a variety of new features, with more on the way, and expanding our support team to Dublin allows us to better assist the people who use WhatsApp to stay in touch with those they care about.”

If the experience of Facebook, WhatsApp’s parent company, in Ireland is anything to go by, then the signs for expansion in Ireland are promising.

Having set up a base in Dublin in 2009, the social network now employs 1,800 people in Ireland, while a €200 million Facebook data centre in Meath is due for completion next year.

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