Economic expansion

Austin downloads hundreds of new jobs as software company zips into town

Zoho is opening a massive campus in Southeast Austin.

On the heels of Amazon, Apple, and Google undertaking major expansions in Austin, another West Coast company is moving its U.S. headquarters to a campus just east of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Zoho Corporation, a provider of business software, says it already employees about 100 people at an interim location in Austin and its workforce here potentially could exceed 1,000 employees. About 15 employees in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the company has maintained its U.S. headquarters, have relocated to Austin or are moving here.

Zoho, founded in 1996, announced the move on April 9 during its annual Zoholics user conference, which is being held in Austin. Company spokeswoman Sandra Lo says Zoho is hiring “aggressively” at the interim location in Austin; the company is adding workers in tech and customer service roles.

A “massive” wave of hiring is set to begin in 2021, when Zoho’s 100,000-square-foot, 375-acre Austin campus is scheduled to open, Lo says. Starting in 2021, Zoho plans to add at least 200 employees a year for five consecutive years, says Raju Vegesna, Zoho’s president and chief evangelist.

Zoho says it’ll focus on finding and training local talent for the Austin headquarters. Employees won’t be required to hold a four-year degree, as they can undergo training through the company’s in-house program, Zoho University. The U.S. outpost of the company's "university" will be established at the Austin campus, which will be along State Highway 71 near Kellam Road.

“Zoho plans to work closely with independent schools and community colleges to help educate local students and hopefully provide a path to the future,” the company says in an April 9 release.

Students at the Zoho University location in Austin will focus on business administration and marketing. The free training program promotes workforce-ready skills.

Chennai, India, remains the corporate headquarters for Zoho, which was founded in 1996. The company currently employs more than 7,000 people at 12 global offices.

technology

Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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