Facebook has established itself as a major employer in the San Francisco area. Its premises in Menlo Park, for example, on the outskirts of the city, are a complex of 30 buildings scattered over an area of more than 100 hectares. However, the price of real estate in the area is extremely high, and so many workers have to use public transport from Oakland, from the Central Valley and beyond. With the existing transport network, the journey can take up to several hours, and it is in this context that Facebook has tried to remedy the situation. Network social the idea of opening a railway line arose. The project, launched three years before the 2020 pandemic, and for a while seemed to be developing, including from local elected officials. Facebook has invested over 20 millions dollars into the project before abandoning it three years later.
Facebook in the know son impact in the San Francisco area – and was looking for a solution
The manager of the firm involved in the project explains: “We felt we had a duty not only to be the organizers of the community we manage online, but also to effectively organize the community where we were physically present.” , explains Elliot Schrage, former vice president of communications and public policy at Facebook. Thus, in 2017, the firm approached the local authorities and offered to rehabilitate the abandoned line (Dumbarton Railway Bridge) for construction son public transport hub. The problem is that the pandemic has completely changed the game. For a while, Facebook wanted its employees to get back to work face-to-face. But little by little, the company switched to remote work. And even though most of the lockdowns are over, Facebook continues to allow all employees who can work from home. So 20 millions dollars were invested, and after 3 years Meta decided to give up. Before parting ways with 13% of their workforce at the end of the pandemic, hammering the final nail on this type of initiative. But in doing so, Meta also leaves local communities with no alternative as real estate prices continue to push workers out of Silicon Valley without adjusting transportation infrastructure. The mayor of Union City, which is likely to be on the route of the project, does not hide his disappointment: “It was very promising,” recalls Carol Dutra-Vernaci, and adds: “I was so excited when I realized that it was so will be”. However, becoming a more active local player obviously cannot be improvised, even for a company like Meta…
