In the city of Mountain View, California, and the neighboring city of Sunnyvale, you’ll find bits and bobs of property owned and leased by both LinkedIn and Google, including the one and only Googleplex. Both of the tech giants have huge amounts of property spread through parts of Silicon Valley, but their different pieces are arranged in a problematic manner. Both parties own pieces that would require them to make moves that would benefit the other party if they wanted to build out according to their original plans, and LinkedIn has their hands on a few buildings in decidedly Googly territory, which can be troublesome for delivery of materials between buildings. As such, the two companies have decided to trade a few buildings to make their master plans a bit easier to achieve. No money is changing hands in this exchange.
The real estate that Google is getting from LinkedIn includes the Lester Industrial Park, which includes council approval for a 1.4 million square foot buildout, as well as the right to buy up a nearby Sports Page property on Plymouth. A bit closer to the Googleplex, LinkedIn is giving up a large property on Stierlin Court, about 370,000 square feet. This property is not owned by LinkedIn, but Google will be taking over their lease on the property. While Google isn’t getting a hold of much office space, they are getting their hands on a prime building opportunity, bringing them a bit closer to the ambitious master plan that they have in mind for their little piece of Mountain View.
Google will be handing over 700 and 800 East Middlefield, with one property in Sunnyvale and the other over the city border in Mountain View. Together, the two properties total about 28 acres, with close to 460,000 square feet of that being buildings. LinkedIn will also get Google’s leases for 950 and 1000 Maude, two side-by-side office complexes in Sunnyvale that are rather close to the other buildings they’re taking over, as well as other LinkedIn buildings. The two leased properties total up to a whopping 280,000 square feet of office space. When Google and LinkedIn took their fight to the city council of Mountain View back in 2015, the city gave some buildout rights to Google, but largely took LinkedIn’s side in order to avoid Google taking over the city. This swap essentially marks the end of that feud. The buildings and land being swapped between the two are centered around each others’ headquarters, which will make it easier for both companies to build out. The deal was long in the making before Microsoft bought out LinkedIn, making it impossible for them to block or modify the deal.