Tech giants are setting up shop in Toronto

The coolest new offices from the hottest American tech transplants

By Jean Grant

| September 18, 2017

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Okta

The company: A cloud-based identification software that allows scatterbrained multi-taskers to securely log into all of their platforms with just one password. The place: A 7,500-square-foot office in an old textiles building at Queen and John. The staff: 60 people. The perks: The office has Ping-Pong tables, beer on tap and video games. Employees can work from home every Thursday and feast on comped catered lunches three days a week.

Slack

The company: A web-based platform where colleagues can talk and brainstorm. The place: A three-storey, 22,000-square-foot complex in a former knitting factory at Queen and John. The staff: 20 people, with plans to hire 125 more employees this year. The perks: Staff get weekly massage therapy, subsidized monthly gym memberships and up to $2,500 per year to spend on professional development. Every afternoon, a gong sounds to signal that it’s time for a coffee break.

Amazon

The company: The global marketplace for everything from dog toys to dystopian YA novels. The place: Five glittering storeys of waterfront office space at 120 Bremner. The decor is quintessentially Canadian, with a massive wooden moose sculpture and hallways lined with vintage Toronto maps. The staff: 600 people. The perks: All of the glass walls are writable.

Thomson Reuters

The company: The mammoth information and media conglomerate chaired by Toronto billionaire David Thomson. The place: A 50,000-square-foot technology centre in the South Core devoted to cognitive computing and cloud development. The staff: 100 people, with plans to hire 400 more in the next year. The perks: The airy, open-concept space has floor-to-ceiling lakefront views, a staff lounge, a fully stocked games room and a lifetime supply of Diet Coke.

Okta

Slack

Amazon

Thomson Reuters

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